DW BUREAU / MOHALI

To ensure the safe and legal migration of Indian Nationals seeking overseas employment opportunities, the Ministry of External Affairs has undertaken two most significant initiatives including the website portal https://emigrate.gov.in of the Ministry, which contains all information related to Emigration regulations as per the Emigration Act, 1983, list of registered Recruiting Agents, facility of registration of grievances against agencies, foreign employers etc. and the Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) Program.

Divulging the details, Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said that the PDOT Program aims to educate intending emigrants about the emigration process, their rights and responsibilities, and cultural aspects of the destination country (18 ECR countries) before proceeding for overseas employment, thereby ensuring their safe and legal migration.

The program is being implemented in Punjab in coordination with the Punjab Skill Development Mission, under the Department of Employment Generation, Punjab Govt.

For imparting PDOT, a designated PDOT Centre has been operationalized in the district. The details of the PDOT scheme are available at http://pdot.mea.gov.in/ and are also available with concerned District Employment Generation and Training Officers who have been trained as master trainers by the Ministry.

She further said that the activities of visa consultants, and travel agents operating under the license issued under the Punjab Travel Professionals' Regulation (PTPR) Act, 2012 would also be kept under monitoring because it has come to the notice of the Ministry of External Affairs that some travel agents, licensed under the PTPR Act, are engaging in overseas recruitment activities and are conducting business of work visa, work permits, hence violating the Emigration regulations.

The violation of provisions of the Emigration Act, of 1983 is a cognizable offence and is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years and a fine.

She clarified that overseas recruitment activities, the conduct of business of Work Visa, Work Permits etc. coming under the definition of recruitment, fall under the exclusive purview of the Emigration Act, 1983, and the agency must be registered under the license granted by the Ministry of External Affairs.

She cautioned the general public to keep in mind before starting the process of emigration to check whether the agency has a license under Emigration Act 1983 or not. The Deputy Commissioner also warned the travel agents, and visa consultants registered under the PTPR Act, 2012 in the district to keep away from such illegal recruitment practices, if they were not granted the mandatory license under the Emigration Act, 1983 by the Ministry of External Affairs.
(editor@dailyworld.in)