Workers left behind in Israel job drive take legal route after mortgaging land, jewellery

Eighteen months ago, Gautam Chauhan (28), a mason from Azamgarh, pawned his sister’s gold jewellery and mortgaged his family’s half-acre land to arrange ₹68,800 for what he believed would be his passage to Israel. The promise was work, stability and a steady income. The flight never came.

Chhedi Lal (45), a foreman from Fatehpur, took a similar gamble, pawning his wife’s jewellery to raise the same amount. “Several workers from my district who cleared the interview and tests after me left at the end of 2024. I still don’t have my work visa,” he says.

Chauhan and Lal are among more than 2,700 candidates selected from Uttar Pradesh under a much-publicized government scheme to send skilled Indian workers to Israel. Advertised over the past two years by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the programme was showcased as a symbol of deepening India-Israel ties and an opportunity for Indian laborers to earn high overseas wages.

Instead, for at least 376 selected candidates, the promise has stalled. These workers allege they were overlooked despite paying for air tickets, while candidates from later batches were flown to Tel Aviv. Twenty-seven of them have now moved the Allahabad High Court, accusing the NSDC — the scheme’s implementation agency — of discrimination and arbitrary selection.

“Pick and choose policy has been adopted by the authorities to send candidates to Israel, which is illegal and arbitrary… the petitioners have been deceived,” the plea filed in September states. The petition includes application forms and payment receipts issued by the NSDC for tickets to Israel.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a scheme launched after the October 2023 Hamas attack, when Palestinian workers were barred from construction sites in Israel, triggering a labour shortage. The initiative ran into trouble after an assessment process that over-promised on skills and under-delivered on the ground.

In response, Israel took the unprecedented step of allowing Indian workers — lured by an average post-deduction monthly salary of over ₹1.9 lakh — to be redeployed to unskilled or industrial jobs outside the construction sector.

By the end of 2024, around 5,000 workers had been sent to Israel through the Government-to-Government (G2G) route, with a similar number through the Business-to-Business (B2B) channel. With Israel opening up more sectors, those numbers are expected to have risen this year.

The petitioners from UP say that while they waited, workers who cleared interviews, aptitude tests, medical examinations and police verification after them were flown out, mostly in October 2024. Lists of these candidates have been annexed to the petition.

The workers also describe repeated visits to NSDC offices, where they claim they were “assured” their turn would come. “The petitioners are poor persons. They were ready to go to Israel in order to earn their bread and butter. They somehow collected money for the fare but till today they are in India,” the plea says.

Their lawyer, Ashok Kumar Dwivedi, says the case has seen only one substantive hearing so far. “Our prayer is simple. The job contract is for five years. The petitioners have already lost more than a year. They deserve the full five-year contract,” he says.

On December 23, the NSDC issued a notice on its website stating that refunds would be available for selected candidates who could not be sent to Israel.

For the workers, a refund is no solution. Many say they are facing mounting interest on loans and pressure from families who backed their gamble. “We are not worried about security in Israel. Those who went say they are safe and have adapted to life, even using underground bunkers during air attacks,” says Manoj Chauhan (45), another mason from Azamgarh and a petitioner.

“We were among those who cleared the tests in the second batch. Others have gone, even returned on leave. They have built new lives,” he adds.

Niraj Chauhan, who is coordinating the workers’ efforts, says delegations of over 100 labourers have met Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar and visited the NSDC’s head office. “Everyone keeps telling us the visas will come shortly, but nothing has happened. Meanwhile, the NSDC is conducting fresh recruitment for Israel in UP and Telangana,” he says.

For Ravendra Singh (42) from Fatehpur, the legal route was the last option. “The NSDC should at least offer interest on the money lying with them. We pooled ₹500 each to pay the lawyers and approach the High Court. This is our final hope,” he says.