Skills are highest in China

There is a focus on skill development in India. The government is trying to provide training in fitter, mechanic, carpentry, electrician and plumbing through NGOs. A lot of money is also being spent. On the other hand, Indian workers are failing abroad. Not only in Israel but also in the Gulf countries, Indian workers go with dreams of packages worth lakhs but are disappointed.

Why is India's skilled labour lagging behind in countries like Israel? How far is China ahead?

The Israeli government asked for skilled labourers from the Indian government for building construction (construction sector) etc. The salary is in lakhs. There was a race to go to Israel from India, thousands of Indian workers with certificates from various centres of skill development reached Tel Aviv. But after going there, their employers came to know that Indian workers do not even know how to hold a hammer. Seeing this, people in the construction sector of Israel were stunned. Now they appealed to their government to call skilled labourers from China instead of Indians. India has a huge population but most people have no skills. They can only sell their physical labour. That is why these Indian labourers were put to work carrying bricks and mortar or lifting sacks. Some somehow returned.

During the Israel-Palestine conflict, these Indian labourers went there risking their lives to work but returned disappointed. No effort was ever made to make them skilled in India. The Indian government has been distributing money to many NGOs in the name of skill development for the last decade. For mechanical work, training is given in the private sector from fitter, mechanic, carpentry to electrician and plumbing etc., and a hefty fee is also charged for that. But in return for the fee, they get only a certificate but no training. As a result, there is no respect for Indian skilled labourers anywhere. Even in the Gulf countries, when these Indian labourers go there, they go with dreams of packages worth lakhs. But when they start working, their employer realises that they can only do loading and uploading of goods.