Afsan Mohammed a 30-year-old business graduate from Telangana faced a tough choice: stay in his low-paying retail job or accept a promising offer in Moscow‚ The choice led to his death in Ukraine about a year ago
His brother Imran Mohammed shares the story:
They promised him 45000 rupees monthly salary‚ Russian passport and a better life
In recent months many Indians found themselves in similar situations - caught between harsh economic realities at home and risky opportunities abroad. Pat Nibin Maxwell died in an Israeli missile strike; he was among thousands of Indians who replaced Palestinian workers in Israel
The Indian government signed deals to send workers overseas:
- More than 5000 Indians work in Israel now
- About 2200 people applied for Israel jobs from Telangana
- Over 8500 hopefuls from Uttar-Pradesh and Haryana tried their luck
- Israeli officials want to hire 10000 more workers
The situation isnt limited to war-zones. Last year 250 Indians needed rescue from cyber-slavery in Cambodia; while 2500 died working in Qatarʼs harsh conditions over the past decade. Many others remain stuck in Gulf countries dealing with debt and legal issues
Behind this exodus lies Indias job crisis. Youth make up 83% of unemployed workers‚ and even educated people cant find work matching their skills. The countrys unemployment rate hit 8.1% this spring despite the governments claims about economic growth
Economic problems started getting worse after the 2016 cash ban affected small businesses. Then came a complicated tax system and covid-19 lockdowns forcing millions back to farming jobs. Real wages stayed flat since 2014 while living costs kept rising
The government offers some help like million-rupee insurance (about $11‚836) for migrant workers but doesnt have a solid plan to protect them. After Afsan Mohammed died they warned about Russian job scams but Indians keep applying for overseas work - even in dangerous places