E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUL 16 - The government is mulling introducing identity cards for migrant workers leaving the country for various labour destinations. The move is being planned with a view to curbing illegal departures via India.

More than 1,000 workers leave the country for overseas jobs everyday from Tribhuvan International Airport. However, the number of departures via India is said to be same the number leaving from Nepal.

“We have come up with this new concept of issuing ID cards; and once we start this provision, only certified workers with ID will be able to leave the country for work,” said Mohammad Aftab Alam, Minister for Labour and Transport Management, while addressing a press conference on Thursday. “We will also ask India to grant permission for departure only to individuals having the ID card.” Minister Alam said that the card would be issued by the ministry, the Department of Foreign Employment or the Foreign Employment Promotion Board. “This will discourage workers from leaving for work illegally and help maintain the data of the workers.”

In the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, a total of 263,750 individuals have left the country for work abroad taking permission from the department. And the number is expected to touch 300,000 by the end of the current fiscal year.

“Our target this year was 254,100. However, we will be witnessing an average rise of 20 percent compared to the target,” said Alam. He said that foreign employment last year had decreased by 11 percent due to the impact of the global recession. The ministry is also planning to install CCTV at the Transport Management Office to monitor the corruption prevailing at the office while issuing licenses. “We will install CCTV within a few days,” claimed Alam.

Enlisting of Uganda as a new labour destination, starting of sending industrial trainee workers under the JITCO programme and EPS system renewal with South Korea, appointment of labour attaches to four major labour destinations, computerization at the Transport Management Office, compulsory third-party insurance, and establishment of Migration Resource Centre and Skill Development Centres in Dhading, Rautahat and Jumla are some of the major achievements of the current fiscal year.

However, the government has not been able to re-open Israel for foreign employment which has been closed to Nepalis since April 2009. Nor has it been able to fix the minimum salary of Nepali workers in foreign countries. So far, the minimum salary has been fixed only in Qatar. Alam said that the government had not been able to fix the minimum salary of Nepalis working in various labour destinations due to the failure of cooperation from the embassies.

“I have talked to many embassies regarding the fixing of the minimum salary and problems related to this issue,” said Alam. “But they do not pay any heed.”

391 die abroad this fiscal year

KATHMANDU: The number of the people leaving the country for work abroad has increased significantly during the current fiscal year. But along with the rise in departure, the number of workers dying in various labour destinations has also increased.

According to the Foreign Employment Promotion Board, a total of 391 people leaving the country for work died during the current fiscal year. The number includes only those who have left for work legally. There is no data on the deaths of Nepali workers abroad going through illegal ways.

“An average of three dead bodies of Nepali workers land in Nepal every day,” said Sthaneshwor Devkota, executive director of the board, while addressing a press conference organised by the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management on Thursday.

“Of them, normally two dead bodies are of labourers who go for employment illegally, and they do not get compensation too.”

The board has been providing financial assistance

of Rs. 100,000 to the family of deceased workers who leave the country through legal channels.

Number of workers who died during the current fiscal year 

Saudi Arabia     125

Qatar     100

Malaysia    94

UAE    36

Dubai    9

Bahrain    6

Oman    5

Lebanon    5

Kuwait    2

South Korea    1

Israel     1

Other countries    7

Posted on: 2010-07-16 09:23

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