by Moiz Mannan
The return of more than 134,000 migrant Indian workers from Saudi Arabia over the past weeks and the resultant problem of their rehabilitation is an event that would occur again and again in different circumstances and regions across the globe. It is time to rise above such events and grapple with the issue at hand - international migration.
Accosted by the latest event, the Indian authorities at the central and state levels have gone into the customary fire-fighting mode and the expected politics has also started to play itself out in the major manpower exporting states.
The worst-affected state, Kerala, for example is said to have worked out a “comprehensive” rehabilitation plan to deal with the current event. The plan calls upon certain departments of the state government to help the returnees set up small enterprises. Besides technical assistance, the government agencies will arrange bank loans and extend 10 percent subsidy on the capital investment and five percent subsidy on the interest for the entire repayment period of up to 15 years with the federal assistance.
The government will also encourage formation of labour contract societies in the state, where some two million migrants from other parts of India replace the Gulf-bound emigrants doing all kinds of labour.
Some NRI and Gulf returnees organisations in Kerala have already publicly rubbished their government’s claims and dismissed the announcements as lip service.
The central as well as state governments seem to draw solace from little nothings such as using their “good offices” to make the Saudi authorities extend the Nitaqat deadline and agree to allow the affected workers to move to other Gulf nations. The centre, for example, has been praising its efforts in the Kingdom. “We used the available time very effectively. Our embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah launched a major scheme to sensitise Indian nationals. This is an untold success story for India,” Joint Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Mridul Kumar, was quoted as telling media representatives last Thursday.
Similar diplomatic efforts with Kuwait, during the India visit of its Prime Minister, have also been talked about by foreign ministry officials. While launching initiatives on a case-to-case basis, it is also important to look at and effectively plan for the global migration scene.
With such a massive population of non-residents, India needs to be at the forefront of global initiatives aimed at regularising and humanising workers’ migration. One such recent initiative was the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.
According to UN figures, in 2013, the number of international migrants worldwide reached 232 million. Both developing and developed economies need migrants to meet the demand for workers with different levels of skills. The UN has acknowledged that leveraged by the right policies, migrant and diaspora communities can significantly contribute to development in both origin and destination countries, through remittances, trade, investment, creation of enterprises, and transfer of technology, skills and knowledge.
Many migrants are able to move, live and work in safety and dignity. Yet others are compelled to move as a result of poverty, a lack of decent work, human rights violations, armed conflict, persecution and environmental degradation. In the absence of regular migration opportunities, migrants resort to irregular migration channels. In their new homes, many migrants face exploitation, discrimination and xenophobia, while their contributions to the host society go largely unrecognized.
This is why the UN convened the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development from October 3 to 4, 2013 with an eight-point agenda for action on making migration work. The agenda calls upon member countries and all concerned agencies and organisations to protect human rights of migrants, reduce the costs of labour migration, eliminate migrant exploitation, address the “plight of stranded migrants”, improve the host population’s perception of migrants and, among other things, enhance migration partnerships and co-operation.
The Declaration adopted by the General Assembly calls for acknowledgement of the important contribution made by migrants and an “effective and inclusive agenda” that integrates development and respects human rights by improving the performance of existing institutions and frameworks, as well as partnering more effectively with all stakeholders involved in international migration and development at the regional and global levels.
Among other things, the Declaration underlines the right of migrants to return to their country of citizenship, and calls upon manpower exporting countries to ensure that their returning nationals are duly received.
Hinting at a change in approach, the Minister of Overseas Indians Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, recently voiced an opinion that migration of people at a macro level should be liberalised so that market forces operate efficiently and ensure competitive wages and social security.
In this context, India has adopted a National Policy on Skill Development that seeks to raise India’s competitiveness in the global labour market. The ministry is also implementing “Swarna Pravas Yojna, a central government scheme which aims to train about 200,000 youth for overseas jobs in the 12th Five year plan period.
However, a strong push is required from India to include labour mobility at international forums such as UN and WTO to promote and safeguard the interests of its migrants.
THE PENINSULA
