Govt clears India-Japan pact to institutionalise mobility of skilled workers

As per the agreement between India and Japan, workers from India would be granted the status of 'specified skilled worker.'The Memorandum of Cooperation was approved during a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi:The government has approved the signing of an agreement to institutionalise a mechanism for cooperation between India and Japan in sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the skill and Japanese language test.

The memorandum of cooperation on a basic framework for partnership pertaining to "specified skilled worker" between India and Japan was cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will enhance people-to-people contacts, foster mobility of workers and skilled professionals.

"The present Memorandum of Cooperation would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Japan on sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the required skill and Japanese language test, to work in fourteen specified sectors in Japan."

"These Indian workers would be granted a new status of residence of 'specified skilled worker' by the Government of Japan," an official statement said on Wednesday. A joint working group will be set up under the memorandum of cooperation to follow up on its implementation.

Skilled Indian workers from fourteen sectors -- including nursing care; building cleaning; material processing industry; industrial machinery manufacturing industry; electric and electronic information related industry; construction; shipbuilding and ship-related industry; automobile maintenance and aviation -- would have enhanced job opportunities to work in Japan.

PTI