THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC), one of the three government agencies authorised by the centre for overseas nursing recruitment, has decided to oppose the move to relax the existing procedures for nursing recruitment.
The Protector-General of Emigrants informed the Delhi High Court last week that the procedures for nursing recruitment would be relaxed soon as the recruitment of nurses had come down drastically after the new procedures were introduced last year.
ODEPC, an agency under the state labour department, decided to oppose the move citing that it would again lead to fleecing of nurses by private recruiting agencies.
Labour principal secretary Tom Jose has directed ODEPC managing director G.L. Muraleedharan to take steps to implead in the case and file an affidavit opposing the move to relax the norms. ODEPC would maintain that the state agencies could carry out recruitment of nurses and that the centre had to take steps to pursue foreign employers through missions abroad to make demands through e-migrate system, government sources told DC.
Meanwhile, NORKA secretary Rani George said that NORKA-Roots, which is another agency empanelled for nursing recruitment, had not yet taken any decision in this regard.
Kuwait delegation to arrive today
After much dilly-dallying, a delegation from Kuwait is scheduled to come down to Kerala on Thursday to hold discussions with NORKA-Roots, ODEPC and Tamil Nadu government’s Overseas Manpower Corporation (OMC) on the nitty-gritty of nursing recruiting. “We are expecting the Kuwait delegation here on Thursday and Friday,” said NORKA Minister K.C. Joseph.
