“This is the right time to prepare for the opportunities that are ahead of us in a world that is cautiously returning to normalcy and Protectors of Emigrants (POEs) should facilitate the emigration of blue collared workers while providing the best possible protection and welfare.”
— V Muraleedharan, MOS External Affairs
The 4th Conference of the Protectors of Emigrants (POE) discussed the issue of new work opportunities for youth and workers in other countries. The meeting primarily focused on protection of the rights of the Non-Resident-Indians (NRIs).
Addressing the meeting the Indian Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that the country fought the global pandemic, gradually the situation is improving and it is the right time to prepare for the new opportunities that are being created in the world.
“This is the right time to prepare for the opportunities that are ahead of us in a world that is cautiously returning to normalcy and Protectors of Emigrants (POEs) should facilitate the emigration of blue collared workers while providing the best possible protection and welfare,” he said.
The minister put stress on the role of the POEs and called for informing the youth and workers about new destinations and opportunities, based on the Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) signed with UK on mobility and partnership; the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on specified skilled workers with Japan in 14 sectors; and the recent cabinet approval on skilled manpower mobility between India and Portugal, a press release from the Ministry of State for External Affairs said.
The conference put special mention of efforts to update and refine various welfare schemes such as Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDoT) and Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), and the eMigrate platform.
In his remarks Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary (CPV & OIA), endorsed the positive role of our POEs in bringing back thousands of distressed migrant workers from abroad during the pandemic. He mentioned that the eMigrate system, an online platform which integrates POE offices, Passport offices, Indian Missions, Bureau of Immigration and others, regulating overseas employment, is being strengthened by a range of measures to increase its popularity and make it simple and incentivised.
The conference put special mention of efforts to update and refine various welfare schemes such as Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDoT) and Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), and the eMigrate platform
“The eMigrate platform has now been opened up to all countries in recognition of new migration corridors to East Asia, Europe and other countries,” he said.
In the Plenary Session of the POE Conference, Joint Secretary (Overseas Employment) and Protector General of Emigrants, T Armstrong Changsan, other officers from MEA and 13 Protectors of Emigrants (POEs), discussed PDoT and other welfare measures, and State Outreach Programme (Videsh Sampark) by MEA to facilitate safe and legal migration.
Later, the representatives of registered Recruiting Agencies’ Associations joined the conference to exchange ideas and suggestions on various measures to further strengthen safe and legal migration, and to curb exploitation, cheating and illegal immigration or human trafficking, an issue that the minister and Secretary (CPV & OIA) had stressed upon in their speeches.
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