Remittances to India stand at more than $90 billion, the bulk of them from Indians employed abroad. But talent recruiters are unhappy because the Ministry of External Affairs, which issues licences to them, is yet to favourably consider their demands. In this context, S Balakrishnan spoke to VS Abdul Kareem, president of the Indian Personnel Export Promotion Council (IPEPCIL). Kareem is an industry veteran who has championed the cause of recruitment agents (RAs) for several years. Excerpts:
You are the president of IPEPCIL and you have been fighting on behalf of the RAs. What has been the outcome?
RAs are government-approved persons authorised to export manpower. There is a licensing framework and we are also expected to give huge bank guarantees. Even the size of our offices is decided by the government. But despite the huge contribution that we make to the economy in terms of remittances, we have not received the support we deserve. We have had very good foreign ministers and all of them have held extensive consultations with us. Yet many of the problems still remain to be tackled. The stepmotherly treatment being meted to us is out of ignorance. We are here to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi realise his dream of a $5 trillion economy. It is high time we are treated as partners in progress. The government should have a positive attitude towards our industry.
We often hear of RAs taking candidates for a ride. What do you have to say about that?
In every industry there are black sheep. Are you going to paint the entire industry black because of a few unscrupulous elements? The ground reality has changed substantially over the years. RAs are now more professional. An entire generation of educated young persons has entered the industry. The government should trust them. The emphasis should be on the excellent work being done by the industry as a whole and not on a handful of people who dupe candidates. We have never objected to police action against those who cheat. But these days a whole new line of business has opened as per which candidates, who are unable to work in the Gulf for various reasons, return to India and with the help of a gang of crooks file false complaints to the Protectorate of Emigrants (PoE). There is a web portal of the ministry in which complaints are uploaded and allegations are made against RAs without a shred of evidence. A lot of our time is wasted in replying to the show cause notices sent to our members by the PoEs. Much of this problem can be solved if the PoEs ask for proof of cheating before mechanically sending show cause notices to our members. I would like to point out that apart from the laws framed by the government, the IPEPCIL has its own code of conduct for members.
What is the issue about minimum referral wages and unlimited liability of RAs that the government insists on?
The government decides what ought to be the minimum wages payable to workers employed abroad. The intention is good, but in practical terms it harms the interests of our workers. Philippines, Bangladesh, etc, have no such system because of which more and more workers from these countries are finding jobs in the Gulf. India should follow these small nations if it is to remove unemployment in our country. If any worker is exploited abroad, then the Indian embassy should take it up with the government concerned. Our members have brought back at their cost several candidates who felt exploited abroad. Our approach is positive. As for the liability issue, we are the only industry where the RA’s liability never seems to end. Ideally, an RA’s liability towards candidates deployed by them overseas should end the moment they land there. Or at least it should be for a limited period. At present even after 10 years of deployment our RAs are held responsible.
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