You will often find people saying that if people like Parag Agarwal, Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella had lived in India and used their expertise for India, then the situation in India would have been different today! But have you ever tried to know the reasons for the immigration of these talents i.e. going out of India and looking for jobs elsewhere? Or what is the benefit to India by settling outside India of these migrants….?
A World Bank report has come, according to which India has received the highest remittance in the year 2021. Remittance refers to money remitted into India by Indian workers working outside India. India has received remittances worth $83 billion this year. You will be surprised to know that the value of money coming from remittances in India is more than the value of money coming from foreign direct investment. Accordingly, remittances are very important for our economy.
Although the remittance to India is only 3 percent of the GDP here, which is less than other neighboring countries of India. For example, the remittance coming to Nepal is 24.8 percent of its GDP, for Pakistan this figure is 12.6 percent, for Sri Lanka it is 8.3 percent and for Bangladesh it is 6.5 percent. This means that immigrant workers from these countries are a major part of the economy of these countries.
Now the question is, should India also make efforts to increase its remittances to double digits?
If India brings its remittances up to ten percent of GDP, then it can bring a revolutionary change in the Indian economy. More money with banks will help them to disburse loans, relatives to whom NRIs will remit money; They will have more money to spend, this will create demand, by creating demand, productivity will increase, by increasing productivity it will also create jobs and it will also benefit the Indian economy as a whole.
India can also follow the Philippines model for value addition to its remittances. Here such efforts are made at the government level itself, the immigration of workers should be encouraged. India can also make meaningful efforts in this direction. Although there is still good immigration from India but it is less in relation to the population of India. Moreover, most of the workers going for work outside India are unskilled, so they are employed in such work which does not require much skill.
The Government of India will have to prepare its human resource in such a way that it is in line with the demands of the world economy. For this, India will have to encourage more and more courses under its Skill India program which teach today’s technologies like artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, robotic technology, information-communication technology, quantum physics etc.
Along with this, the Government of India will also have to make necessary arrangements for the needs of its workers who go outside India. For example, they should not be exploited abroad; Efforts will have to be made, for the work for which the worker is being taken from here; He should be made to do the same work, for this, adequate legal remedies should be provided, the salary and allowances and services of these workers. The conditions should also be according to the agreement decided in the beginning, for this also the government should provide adequate help to the workers.
The government had launched a portal named MADAD in the year 2015 for this purpose. Under this, a total of 78 thousand complaints were received, out of which 95 percent complaints were resolved efficiently. Taking a step further in this direction, the Government of India has also placed a bill to this effect in the Parliament – New Immigration Bill (2021). Under this, proper management of all immigration related matters such as simplification of registration process for workers to go out of India, government protection against their exploitation in foreign countries etc. will be ensured. Complex provisions regarding immigration check requirements have been simplified. Under this, those workers who have got less than tenth education and who are going to any one of the 18 countries classified.
Apart from this, all workers going out of India will also have to undergo compulsory registration. With this, the proper database of all these workers will also be with the government. This will also facilitate the government in making policies regarding them. Along with this, an institution called Immigration Management Authority will also be created which will ensure proper management of related matters.
Apart from these efforts being made by the government, migrant workers should also be self-aware so that they do not get cheated of any kind. They should also keep on doing those necessary trainings along with their work which make them more efficient and efficient. With this, India will have a best-in-class human resource that will not only meet India’s needs but will also adapt to global needs.