Beware of fake recruitment agencies, Indian jobseekers warned

Muscat: India's government recruitment agency has warned jobseekers to beware of fake recruitment agencies.The warning was issued by Non Resident Keralites Affairs, a department of the Kerala government, in the wake of reports that a Bengaluru-based private firm is recruiting nurses for a Kuwait oil company and charging hefty sums.
“Don’t waste your money or give documents (Passports/Certificates) to any private agency for getting recruited through NORKA. NORKA do not authorise any middlemen to contact job seekers in any means or collect money for their selection,” the agency has said in a notice.
“Anybody trying to influence, misbehave or act in any manner so as to affect the fair conduct of selection, shall be liable for penal action and will be referred for vigilance enquiry. Only the Indian government approved service charge, maximum INR20,000, (approx OMR115) will be applicable to the selected candidates and has to be remitted only in the form of demand draft taken in favor of CEO NORKA ROOTS,” the notice says.
The notice also calls on the public to inform the NORKA CEO about any type of canvassing or misbehavior if they come across.
Even after having strict recruitment practices in place, workers, especially women from Kerala, are duped and flown abroad illegally.
Recently, the Indian embassy in Oman had said that recruitment of Indian nurses to work abroad can now only be done through three state government agencies and two private agencies recognized by the Indian government.
“The Indian government has authorized NORKA Roots in Kerala, Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants in Kerala and Overseas Manpower Corporation Ltd in Chennai for recruitment of Indian nurses for overseas employment,” the embassy said in the statement.
“On August 4, Uttar Pradesh Financial Corporation and Telangana Overseas Manpower Company have also been authorized to engage in recruitment of Indian nurses for employment abroad,” the statement added.
Since 2015, recruitment of nurses from India has been conducted through E-migrate system (www.emigrate.gov.in) to streamline the process of recruitment and make it transparent.
The Indian government has put in place tight controls to streamline recruitment of workers, especially nurses, abroad.