Country not on ECR list, says MEA

Sandeep Dikshit

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New Delhi, January 18

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has ruled out putting Tel Aviv on the “Emigration Clearance Required” (ECR) list following concerns that the ongoing recruitment of workers for Israel could endanger their lives.

The MEA has pinned hopes for workers’ welfare on Israel being a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which has strict labour laws.

The labour mobility agreement with Israel was not connected with the Gaza conflict, he said, pointing out that it was inked well before the conflict broke out. “The idea was to put in place an institutional mechanism which regulates migration to that country. We already have a large number of people, especially in the care-giving sector, in Israel. We want to ensure that there is regulated migration and the rights of people who go there are protected,” he said.

On putting Israel on the list of ECR nations, he said, “It is an OECD country and protects labour rights. We are conscious of our responsibility to provide security to Indians abroad.”