'Safety Important, Urged Israeli Authorities To Do Their Best': MEA On Indian Workers Going To Israel Under G2G Agreement

The MEA said that for India, the safety of the workers is important, and Israeli authorities have been asked to ensure the safety and security of all the workers.

India-Israel G2G Agreement: A day after more than 60 workers from India arrived in Israel under a government-to-government agreement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that for India, the safety of the workers is important, and Israeli authorities have been asked to ensure the safety and security of all the workers. "The first batch of people from India have gone to Israel. For us, their safety is important. We have urged Israeli authorities to do their best to take care of their safety and well-being," Jaiswal said during a press breifing.  

On Wednesday, the first batch of more than 60 workers from India had arrived in Israel under a government-to-government agreement to bolster the country's construction industry facing a huge shortage of trained hands. Following the arrival of first batch of Indian construction workers in the country on Tuesday evening, Israel is set to witness series of arrivals in the coming weeks totalling close to 850 by mid-April.

"Today we had a farewell event from the first batch of 60+ Indian construction workers going to Israel under the G2G agreement. This is an outcome of hard work of many, including @NSDCINDIA. I’m sure that the workers become 'ambassadors’ of the great P2P relations between India and Israel," Israel's ambassador to India Naor Gilon posted on X on Tuesday.

What Is G2G Agreement?

Last year, Israel and India inked an agreement that will allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in the fields of construction and nursing. This move was aimed to help deal with the rising cost of living and assist thousands of families waiting for nursing care. In 2023, during his trip to India, Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat had spoken to officials and his counterpart in New Delhi about hiring Indians in various sectors, including in the construction sector.

The G2G mechanism has been worked out to keep away middlemen and to make the process of hiring fair through the screening tests conducted by Israeli examiners, who visited India a few times and coordinated the process with the Indian government agencies.

Earlier, a little over 900 construction workers had arrived from India during the last few months through the B2B route, involving manpower agencies in both countries, as reported by news agency PTI. The Israeli construction industry employs workers in specific fields where there is a lack of Israeli workers.