Over 500 Israel job aspirants throng Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, January 17

A majority of aspirants, who gathered on Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) campus today to appear in a skill test for jobs of construction workers in Israel, reportedly belonged to the lower-middle class, and many of them have worked as labourers in Qatar, the UAE, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

They had to return after their companies shut down or due to family reasons. They have not been getting jobs as they are not qualified enough. Moreover, an attractive salary of Rs 1.25 lakh a month being offered to work in Israel is a major factor that has drawn unemployed youths from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab and various parts of Haryana.

Over 500 aspirants arrived here on the second day. Twenty-one youths from Churu in Rajasthan travelled overnight in a bus. “I worked over 14 months in Qatar as a road construction worker and earned Rs 35,000 per month, but had to return due to the closure of the company. Since then, I have not been getting regular work. This is a good opportunity with a handsome wage to go abroad again,” said Vijay, a matriculate from Churu.

Another aspirant Naurang Ram said he had worked as a goat herder in Saudi Arabia for five years. “I earned Rs 30,000 per month, but the owners later sold off the goats. I could not get another job. It forced me to come back home,” he said.

Ashok and Raja Ram Parshad of Gopal Ganj in Bihar, too, have worked abroad as construction workers and wanted jobs in Israel as they were not getting good returns from agricultural work in their district.

“I spent three years in Saudi Arabia working as a steel fitter with a construction company. I had to return to India during the Covid pandemic,” said Raja Ram.

Ashok worked as a construction worker in Qatar and came to India for the marriage of his daughter, but could not go back due to personal reasons. “Since no employment is available in our area, I want to go to Israel,” he said.

Other candidates had similar stories to share. Kashmir from Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Parvat and Surender from Sikar (Rajasthan), Ram Kumar from Gorakhpur (UP) and Vikram of Kurukshetra worked as labourers and security guards in Dubai, Muscat and Doha, but do not have regular employment at present.

Israeli experts assessing applicants

Under the state government programme, the National Skill Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, is sending workers skilled in masonry, carpentry, tiling, etc., to Israel for jobs. A team of technical experts/officials from Israel is testing the skills of the applicants

Police security on campus

The skill test is being conducted at two places on the campus, where the police have been deputed to restrict the entry of the media and others. They are not even allowing candidates to interact with the media. Officials from Israel, too, are tight-lipped. First, the documents of candidates are received and verified, and if eligible, they are taken to another place for the test