Version 2 of India’s e-Migrate platform under development

Speaking on the sidelines of the third edition of the annual Conference of Protectors of Emigrants (POE), Sanjay Bhattacharya, secretary of overseas Indian affairs and consular passports visas, said: “The version two of the MEA’s digital platform e-Migrate – a common web portal for migrant workers and employees – is currently under development.”

India’s e-Migrate portal is a common platform used by recruitment agents, emigrants, foreign employers, missions, and POEs that ensures a paperless and transparent recruitment process for overseas employers. “The new model will provide us with a more robust and comprehensive migrant database to facilitate mobility and migration as well as policymaking,” he added.

e-Migrate to protect returning citizens

Commenting on the efforts taken by the MEA to protect Indian workers abroad, Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar said the integration of migration platforms to provide skill matching and better remuneration for Indians working abroad is a prime focus of the government of India. “Our focus is to provide better opportunities and welfare measures to prospective migrants and we have been engaged in negotiations with foreign governments to provide ease of travel and opportunity through migration and mobility agreements,” he said.

He added that the ministry has given special priority to Indians working in the Gulf region and South-East Asia. “We have been taking all possible efforts to reduce vulnerability and curb exploitation at the hands of foreign employers and unscrupulous recruitment agents. Significant changes have been made in the structure and role of recruitment agents, nevertheless, there have been cases of cheating, illegal agents, and attempts to go for work in an irregular manner,” he explained.

The role of POE’s in combating such practices is vital, especially towards the protection of blue-collared workers, seamen, and women migrants. “E-migrate system provides a robust system to protect migrants in collaboration with the host government. The integration of the e-migrate platform with the governments of UAE, Saudi Arabia, other GCC countries, and Malaysia will greatly facilitate these efforts,” said Dr Jaishankar.

The minister also said the usage of the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) to provide welfare measures for Indians in measures overseas has been greatly liberalised. “This has had particular relevance as we responded to the economic distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.

Emigration bill to be presented in parliament soon

Furthermore, the draft Emigration Bill – 2019, which is set to replace the existing Emigration Act – 1983, is under review and will be presented to the Indian parliament soon. “The current platform for migration is based on the Migration Act of 1983.

However, there have been several developments in technology, mobility patterns, skillsets that would benefit from an upgraded version,” explained Bhattacharya. “This is proposed in the Emigration Management Bill, which is currently under review and will soon be presented to parliament. This bill will revive a flexible model, facilitating clear migration with welfare measures for workers, incentives for human resource agencies, and better tools for policymakers.”

Over the course of the POE conference, technical sessions will discuss pre-departure orientation training and other skill issues, development of the e-Migrate 2 platform, the Emigration Management Bill, infrastructure and manpower issues in the context of the new bill, issues related to illegal agents, coordination with state governments, and rehabilitation of returning workers in the context of the current situation.

Source: Khaleej Times