Recently, at the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Rajya Sabha, EAM Jaishankar provided a detailed clarity on how MEA’s systems and processes are in place to take care of India’s emigrating youth, in order to ensure that they are not being duped by fake agents. The e-Migrate system was established back in 2015, which provided India’s youth with a proper legal channel to find jobs abroad via the e-Migrate portal. Under the ‘Surakshit Jaaye Prasikshit Jaaye’ (Go Safe, Go Trained) campaign, the MEA organizes workshop and Pre-Departure Orientation & Training to raise awareness and facilitate safe and legal migration.
The MEA has made sure to keep regulatory measures in place. This is done through something known as the ‘Emigration Clearance’ wherein the MEA makes sure that these youngsters going abroad won’t be duped, by verifying all documents given by the employer. The MEA has also been carrying out knowledge building exercises, in coordination with state governments and other stakeholders to disseminate information on the Indian diaspora and foreign jobs and to spread awareness about safe and illegal migration through MEA’s state outreach programmes from time to time, such as in West Bengal in 2021 and Kerala in 2022. It has engaged with its partners in the Gulf and Asia-Pacific through MOUs and agreements in the realm of labour and manpower co-operation.
The MEA is currently in the process of bringing in a new legislation, ‘Emigration Bill 2022’ to enhance the scope of existing Emigration Act 1983 which will further help in promotion of safe and legal migration to India’s aspiring youth and to save them from being duped by illegal recruitment agents. This new legislation has been prepared based on inputs from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
