Time and again, India and the Gulf nations have demonstrated that they are good collaborators and partners in development. Over the years, the dependence of these entities on the other has increased with respect to development. While India depends on the Gulf nations for energy, our food and human resources are in much demand in the Gulf.
The diplomatic and commercial ties between the two regions were very evident even before Indian independence. With increasing cooperation in IT, technology and other thrust areas, India and the Gulf nations have developed into partners that are dependable under any circumstance. However, there are areas where much more needs to be done.
For example, the information that India has about its expatriate population in the Gulf is woefully lacking. The exact number of Indians in Gulf nations is not adequately documented even though the Indian community is the biggest in many nations in the Gulf. Such people contribute the maximum to the economy of India by way of their overseas remittances. The situation is akin to the farmer who collects a lot of eggs from his farm, but cannot say for sure how many chicken he has. India keeps a tab only on the amount of money that is flowing in from the Gulf. It has not cared to keep a tab on the number of Indians toiling on foreign soil.
The energy sector in the Gulf has also taken a lot of contribution of Indian human resources. The economy of the Gulf is also dependent on the toil and hard work of a lot of Indians. As competition and opportunities are increasing in the Gulf, the need for prime skill is high and India needs to ask itself whether its people are skilled enough to compete with people of other nationalities.
Most of the expatriates in the Gulf are either semi-skilled or non-experts in their respective fields. Many are not skilled for a particular job while others may not match international standards. This might lead to loss of jobs for such people in the long run.
It is imperative that those who go to the Gulf should be trained as per international standards. If such facilities are not initiated in the nation as soon as possible, Indians may have to say goodbye to a lot of opportunities in the Gulf. Diplomats and other experts need to study the markets in detail and prepare our work force to compete in such markets. The Indian government has to be apprised of the situation so that it can take appropriate steps in that direction. Job aspirants who leave India have to hone their skills so that they do not fall back when they have to deal with stiff competition.
It would not serve any purpose to anyone if we talk only about the remittances from NRIs and do nothing for their betterment. Let us hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Indian labourers in labour camps in the Gulf, would set a new precedent in this regard. Let us hope that the PM understands that Gulf workers are waiting for focussed consideration from their motherland.
(The author is a former ambassador to Bahrain and Qatar)
Disclaimer
The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Manorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.