MONEY»
Smart card ID draws flak
KATHMANDU, AUG 27 -
The government’s plan to issue smart card ID to migrant workers in an effort to maintain scientific data of labour exports and curb illegal departures via India has been criticized by foreign employment entrepreneurs.
The manpower agencies stated that the government’s plan to issue ID cards had been made without a clear mechanism to implement and derive benefits from it.
Keeping in mind the need to maintain records of migrant workers, the government had planned to introduce a readable smart card-based ID card a few months ago. As per the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, the ID would contain all the information about a migrant worker and serve as a legal document like a passport.
Foreign employment agencies said that though the concept of issuing ID cards was not a bad idea, it would add to the red tape for foreign jobseekers who already have to endure a series of lengthy administrative processes.
Addressing an interaction on Friday, Som Lal Bataju, president of the Nepal Foreign Employment Agencies Association, said, “The government has not clearly disclosed the model to be adopted nor its utility to the state, labour supplying entrepreneurs and the card holders themselves.” He added that they would not accept the provision if the government tried to impose it without proper homework and amendment to the Foreign Employment Act.
The government had released a concept paper on Thursday regarding the provision of ID cards for migrant workers. It has also sought input from the concerned stakeholders within the next 10 days.
The concept paper does not say anything about the technology to be adopted, the capacity of the microchip, and the way personal information in the card is to be linked with machine readable passports and national identity cards to be issued in the future.
General secretary of the association Kumud Khanal said that if the ID card had been designed to increase labour exports, the government should provide mandatory orientation to foreign job aspirants before giving them their passports.
“The smart card ID system is not much relevant as the government will be issuing machine readable passports in the near future,” he added. However, government officials said that the ID card would identify migrant workers distinctly allowing them to claim benefits reserved for them.
“If everything goes as planned, the concept will materialize within the current fiscal year,” said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary at the ministry.
“However, this is just a preliminary concept paper, and we will proceed further gathering suggestions from the concerned stakeholders.”
The ministry has asked for inputs from associations representing labour exporting agencies, migrant worker networks, orientation training providers, the Foreign Employment Promotion Board and others.
Posted on: 2010-08-28 08:33
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