NEW DELHI: The Government of India has said that a total of 6,694 Indian workers have been deployed to Israel since October 2023 under a bilateral framework agreement, even as the conflict in the region continues to raise concerns about their safety and working conditions.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the recruitment was conducted by Israeli authorities following the signing of a framework agreement in November 2023. The selected Indian workers have been placed in 195 Israeli companies in various sectors, including construction and related trades.
Of the total workers sent so far, 2,348 are employed in building framework, 1,955 in iron bending, 1,600 in plastering, and 791 in ceramic tiling. The Ministry did not disclose the individual names of companies or precise locations of work, but said the recruitment was in line with protocols ensuring parity with Israeli workers in terms of labour rights, insurance coverage, and access to social security.
“All Indian workers are entitled to proper lodging, medical insurance, and social security,” the Ministry said, adding that the Embassy of India in Israel has been conducting regular consular visits and has set up a 24-hour helpline for worker assistance.
While the Ministry said the workers are being treated on par with Israeli citizens, it also acknowledged that some had raised grievances regarding discrepancies between promised and actual job placements. These complaints, it said, have been taken up with the Israeli authorities and resolved.
Dr T Sumathy, the MP who raised the question, had asked whether the Ministry was tracking the welfare of these workers given their deployment in a conflict zone. The government has assured that safety and wellbeing are being prioritised through active monitoring and ongoing diplomatic engagement with Israeli authorities.
The deployment of Indian labour to Israel comes amid reports of acute labour shortages in Israel’s construction sector following the October 2023 conflict. Despite the risks involved, the Indian government has positioned the arrangement as a means of providing overseas employment with safeguards in place.
