Approx 1.33M Indian Students Pursuing Higher Education Abroad: Centre
Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, informed the Parliament on Friday that approximately 1.33 million Indian students are currently pursuing higher education abroad as of January 2024. This data was gathered based on registrations on the websites of Indian Missions and Consulates worldwide. The minister was responding to the questions asked by Vatakara Member of Parliament Shafi Parambil in the Lok Sabha.
The minister also provided details about the migration of Indian workers to Emigration Check Required (ECR) category countries over the past five years. The numbers highlight a steady increase post-pandemic, with 355,851 emigration clearances granted till 1 December 2024, compared to 398,317 in 2023 and 373,435 in 2022. During the pandemic-hit years, the figures dropped significantly, with only 132,675 clearances in 2021 and 94,145 in 2020.
To enhance the skills and preparedness of emigrant workers, the Ministry of External Affairs launched the Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) programme in January 2018 under the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY). The programme offers one-day, free-of-cost orientation to emigrants, covering local laws, traditions, culture, and language of the destination country. Additionally, it raises awareness about safe and legal migration pathways and government welfare initiatives, such as the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), and the MADAD portal.
In a related question, the Minister for External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, informed the Lok Sabha that there are currently 2,164 registered Recruiting Agents (RAs) across India as per data available on the eMigrate portal. This announcement was made in response to questions raised by MPs Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy and GM Harish Balayogi.
