New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the importance of taking care of Indians living abroad. He recalled the numerous situations in the past decade, where evacuations were carried out to bring back Indians.

In his address at the launch of the Global Access to Talents from India (GATI) event in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jaishankar spoke about government's efforts, including establishing an effective grievance portal and creating a responsive fund for the needs of the vulnerable.

Jaishankar said, 'It is natural that as more Indians travel abroad, that the expectations they have of their Government are carried with them. The last decade has brought up numerous situations where evacuation operations had to be undertaken. But even as a routine exercise, our citizens legitimately expect to be backed up in difficult situations. It may be a quick replacement of a lost passport.'

'Or the predicament of those who not paid their wages, or mistreated by their foreign employers. It can be cultural situations where the rights of Indians are not adequately respected. These baskets of issues have gained salience in our diplomatic endeavours. From establishing an effective grievance portal to creating a responsive fund for the needs of the vulnerable, we have sought to institutionalize and to routinize taking care of Indians abroad. It is only then that they will have the confidence to fully explore the global workplace,' he added.

He said that Central Government has initiated skill training, vocational education and professional preparation efforts for the Indian workforce to be more productive in the contemporary era.

Highlighting government's efforts, he said, 'Our Government today has initiated a range of skill training, vocational education and professional preparation efforts for the Indian workforce to be more productive in the contemporary era. However, the magnitude of opportunities before us are so large that it takes a 'whole of the nation approach' to be fully realized. This is an effort in which the contribution of every stakeholder is valuable and welcomed.'

'As we contemplate our engagement with the world, as India moves up to become the third largest economy, much of this will be people-centric. Our talents and our skills will not only be a resource we have to bring to the table but will be very much part of our branding and of our reputation. A more interdependent and technology-driven world, with all its challenges and needs, will only put a greater premium on it. It is up to us to make the most of these times and we look forward to working with you in that regard,' he added.

He discussed the need for talent abroad and mentioned how there is availability in India. Jaishankar spoke about his recent conversation with Japan's Speaker who backed an action plan that would create a concrete and predictable flow of Indian skills to his country.

Jaishankar said, 'Let me emphasize that these are not hypothetical possibilities or even prospects that are somewhere on the horizon. The need for talent abroad is a situation that is actually upon us today. Let me give you some concrete examples. Only yesterday, and the Japanese Ambassador is sitting here before me, the Speaker of Japan was here to advocate an action plan that would create a concrete and predictable flow of Indian skills to his country. It would help take forward the SSW - the Specialized Skill Workers Agreement - that we had concluded a few years ago. Let me give you another - Israel - as an example, where there is already a flow of workers in different domains.'

'Mauritius has a similar demand, and has concluded an understanding with us. Malaysia has opened up many more sectors to Indian skills, especially construction. We have traditionally been a source country for Singapore, and their requirement will upgrade even as their economy does. The German Chancellor was here last October, and he spoke of increasing the employment Visas for Indians by 4x. My counterparts in Italy, and again I note the Ambassador here before me, in Spain, in Austria, in Greece, have all shown appetite to tap into our human resources pool as urgently and effectively as possible. This, I emphasize, is just the tip of the iceberg, and we must prepare for what is below the waterline. My short point is that there is a demand in the world, an availability in India and the basic groundwork done to enable Indian talent to gain global access is there. Now, how well they do that and what will be the scale - I think that is upto us,' he added. (ANI)