श्रम रोजगार तथा सामाजिक सुरक्षामन्त्री शरतसिंह भण्डारी आप्रवासी श्रमिक दिवस मूल समारोह समितिद्वारा मन्त्रालयमा बुधबार आयोजित अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय आप्रवासी श्रमिक दिवस, २०२४ कार्यक्रममा मन्तव्य राख्दै।तस्बिरः हरिराम भेटुवाल÷रासस Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, delivering a speech at the International Migrant Workers’ Day, 2024 program organized by the Migrant Workers’ Day Main Celebration Committee at the ministry on Wednesday. Photo: Hariram Bhetuwal/RSS
Kathmandu, Dec 18: Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, has stressed on the need of skills and capital earned in course of foreign employment should be invested in the nation’s development.
Addressing a program organized by Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Population Studies and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the occasion of the International Migrants Day here today, Minister Bhandari said the skills and capital earned in course of working abroad should be invested in the self-employment sector for contributing to the nation’s economic development.
“There are many youths from Nepal who have gone abroad for foreign employment. They are allowed to work there only for a certain time period. It would be of great help for the nation’s development if the skills and capital that these youths have earned there could be brought and used in Nepal,” Minister Bhandari said.
According to him, the government is making arrangements for providing collateral-free loans targeting the workers aspiring to go for foreign employment so that they will not be compelled to take loans for high interest rate. Stating that the government is serious regarding the safety of migrant workers, the Labor, Employment and Social Security Minister urged the youths to go on foreign employment only through the authorized agencies and after acquiring the required skills.
He stated that the government is carrying out works with the goal of addressing the problems faced by Nepalis who have gone abroad without taking work permit and have landed in trouble there. Minister Bhandari also shared on the occasion that the Ministry has already started taking information related to the unemployment situation at the local levels, the number of local youths who have gone on abroad employment and to which countries and what skills the local returnee migrant workers have acquired and what employment opportunities are available at the local levels, among other topics, in coordination with each and every local level.
He stated that the Internal Employment Division has been set up at the Ministry for the promotion of domestic employment, and employment and various training opportunities are being explored through it. Minister Bhandari said the compensation amount provided to the family of those workers who died in course of foreign employment has been increased from Rs 700 thousand to one million rupees.
He also informed that the government is working vigorously for entering into Labor Agreement with Malaysia for five years. “We have been saying that the country is empty of youths and there is exodus of youths due to brain drain. Eighty per cent of the seven million workers who have gone on foreign employment have gone to the Gulf countries. They have not gone there forever, they have gone seeking work opportunity,” he explained.
Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Mukunda Prasad Niraula, said that the Ministry is carrying out a study on National Migration Policy by forming an experts’ committee. He added that the government is serious so that no Nepali who has gone on foreign employment should face any problem.
Registrar of Kathmandu University, Prof Dr Achyut Wagle called on the government to work with utmost seriousness to build an environment for creating adequate employment within the country. He also stressed that Nepal should devise a clear policy on foreign employment and migration. IOM Chief of Mission for Nepal Ms. Helene Fors and Chief of the TU Central Department of Population Studies, Prof Dr. Yogendra Bahadur Gurung, among the speakers, said that lack of employment and education has created migration problem globally, and all should join hands to address this problem.
Employment opportunities should be created within the country
Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, has said that economic development will not occur unless domestic employment is created in the country. Speaking at an interaction organized by the International Migrant Workers’ Day 2024 Main Celebration Committee organized by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security today, Minister Bhandari informed that the coming decade is being celebrated as the Domestic Employment Decade.
He said, “Those who have studied abroad have knowledge and ability. Their knowledge should be utilized and used for the development of the country.” The ministry is celebrating the day on a week-long basis with the main slogan ‘Employment with information, skills, the basis for safe immigration’. Minister Bhandari claimed that the statement that all the youth have fled and the country has become empty cannot be established by the statistics.
He said that many youths are doing exemplary work in the country after learning skills from abroad and are also doing good work abroad because of the skills they have acquired. Stating that those who have returned from abroad are affected by various diseases, he said that a study is being conducted on the subject and programs including telemedicine will be launched based on the report.
Minister Bhandari informed that the government has announced through monetary policy to provide unsecured loans for foreign employment and that a strategy is being formulated for that. She also requested that the system of providing labor permits online be given high priority.
Speaking at the program, Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Mukunda Prasad Niraula, said that Nepalis have currently gone to 111 countries and that foreign employment has improved livelihoods in rural areas and increased investment in education, health, and real estate, but has reduced the labor force.
