Tighter controls over overseas jobs on cards

LEKHANATH PANDEY

KATHMANDU: In the wake of growing malpractices in foreign employment, the government today came up with a concrete plan to address all woes and wrongdoings in this business.

The second round of meeting of all concerned government agencies – Foreign Ministry, Labour Ministry, Home Ministry, Law Ministry, Nepal Police – today held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the initiation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

The meeting decided to set up two teams: a High Level Monitoring Mechanism under the chairmanship of Shrestha himself and another Rapid Response Team (RRT) under the coordination of the Home Ministry Joint Secretary Shankar Prasad Koirala to address all problems related to foreign employment.

Members of DPM Shrestha’s mechanism include Minister for Labour and Employment Kumar Belbase, Chief Secretary Lila Mani Poudel and Secretaries of Home, Foreign Affairs, Labour, Law and Tourism ministries, Chief of National Vigilance Center and IGP of Nepali Police.

While, the Koirala’s team include one Joint Secretary each from the Foreign Ministry, Labour and Employment Ministry, Director Generals of Labour Department and Immigration Department.

Shrestha told THT that the mechanism formed under him was a permanent one to monitor and “interfere” in long-term issues as policy review, revision and framing to day-to-day actions as and when necessary against malpractices beyond the limit of the RRT.

Whereas, the RRT would be deployed in the field to meticulously monitor day-to-day activities in foreign employment sector, and to take rapid action against guilty, the government’s move would coincide with the recent report of stranded Nepali migrant workers in three continents in Brazil, Madagascar and Afghanistan.

Terms of References (ToR) of both the committees are being prepared and the RAT will be deployed within five days for, initially one-month period on trial basis. “If it can able to address and minimise woes relating to foreign employment, then it shall continue,” said a participant of the meeting.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of DPM Shrestha, where top officials from all related government agencies, including Chief Secretary Poudel, Foreign Secretary Durga Prasad Bhattarai, and Inspector General of Nepal Police Rabindra Pratap Shah among others were present.

Addressing them, Shrestha said the foreign employment was a compulsive policy of the country in the context of dismal employment opportunities at home. He said problems were at every step in this business, from procuring passport to going abroad for job hunting and even after reaching in alien lands. “There have been lapses at many points,” he said, adding that, “No single person or agency can control this. We need concerted effort to curb all illegal activities.”

Shrestha told all concerned that this initiation must not mean to “show or steal public attention, rather we ought to be genuinely devote ourselves” in curbing all malpractices in foreign employment sector. He directed all to maintain data of those who were being employed “legally and illegally” in foreign lands, and asked the RRP to meet on daily basis.

The DPM further asked to instal CCTVs at the Tribhuvan International Airport.