Thousands of construction workers in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are being recruited to go to Israel. Due to unemployment and low wages in their country, workers are ready to take every risk in Israel
हजारों मजदूरों को इजराइल क्यों भेज रहा है भारत?, बेरोजगारी से परेशान युवा? ट्रेड यूनियनों को आपत्ति
Thousands of construction workers in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are being recruited to go to Israel. Due to unemployment and low wages in their country, workers are ready to take every risk in Israel. The workers who were declared successful in the placement camps organized in different cities of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana last month will start going to Israel from next week. Currently, 700 to 1,000 workers will be sent to Israel every week.
Israel is not getting sufficient number of workers due to the war with Hamas, due to which it is importing workers from India. Because of the war, Israel has stopped employing Palestinian workers.
Seeing this situation, Israel decided to import workers from India. New Delhi and Jerusalem signed a deal last year that will allow 40,000 Indians to work in construction and nursing in Israel.
Demand for Indian laborers in Israel
Earlier last month, a 15-member team from Israel had come to India to recruit workers. Under this, the appointment of 530 and 5,087 construction workers was finalized first in Haryana and then in Uttar Pradesh respectively.
The governments of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Mizoram have also formally appealed to the Central Government to organize similar placement camps in their respective states. Quoting sources in the media, it is being said that soon this campaign will be started in these states also.
Israeli officials are unwilling to disclose details of the appointment. The ‘Population, Immigration and Border Authority’, an agency of the Israeli government, has only said that the workers will be paid Rs 1,37,000 per month. This amount is much more than the amount received in India for the same work.
Anoop Singh, who came to apply in a job camp organized in Lucknow, said that he has come to Israel for a job because of the huge amount of money. Anoop Singh is a graduate and works as a construction labourer.
“I know there is danger, but problems exist here too,” Anoop said. He said that he is willing to take risks so that he can earn more for his family. “I’m going to be there for my kids,” he said.
These appointments are being made through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a government agency of India. One of its officials told the media, “There has been an agreement between India and Israel at the government level to send 40,000 construction workers from India. We have appealed to all the states to help in this. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also followed suit. Is.”
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, there are currently 18,000 Indians working in Israel, most of whom are nursing staff. The workers now moving to Israel include mostly masons, carpenters and other construction workers.
Why do trade unions object?
Many trade unions in India had expressed strong objection to sending workers to Israel and appealed to Prime Minister Modi’s government to end this agreement with Israel. Labor organizations say that sending workers to the conflict zone is like deliberately putting their lives at risk.
The Indian government says that under the agreement between the two countries, Indian workers will be treated better, their rights will be protected and they will not be discriminated against in any way.
“I want to tell you that the labor laws in Israel are very good and strict and protect workers’ rights and immigrants’ rights,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said last month.
Youth troubled by unemployment in the country
“The salary we are getting in Israel is five times more than what we are getting in India,” said a 26-year-old youth, who was selected to go to Israel by a placement center in Haryana, on condition of anonymity. “There are a lot of dangers, but I have no option. I have to take care of my wife, children and parents,” he said.
According to the report of the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate among people in the age group of 20 to 24 increased to 44.49 percent in the October-December 2023 quarter from 43.65 percent in the previous quarter of July to September 2023.
Factors like unemployment, inflation and low wages are not stopping young Indians from taking serious risks to earn their living.
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