Kathmandu, June 20

The government has opened 110 labour destinations, including Afghanistan, for Nepalis seeking employment opportunities abroad.

While manpower companies can send Nepalis to the permitted destinations based on demand, the criteria for Afghanistan is different, in the sense that people can be sent only to work for diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies and multinational companies in the country.

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According to Govinda Mani Bhurtel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, family members of migrant workers who were killed in the terrorist attack in Afghanistan today will get Rs 1 million as compensation from the Foreign Employment Promotion Board and Rs 500,000 as insurance if the workers had migrated for foreign jobs through authorised channels.

On top of that, the employers are also expected to pay compensation to the family members of the deceased.

“However, if the deceased had migrated through unofficial channels, it will be difficult to provide due compensation to their families,” Bhurtel stated.

Passports of the deceased Nepali migrants are yet to be obtained to ascertain whether they were working in Afghanistan legally.

In the last three years, six manpower companies have sent 3,323 Nepalis to Afghanistan, according to the data maintained by the Department of Foreign Employment.

Madhu Vilas Pandit, former Chief of Department of Foreign Employment, who is working as a resource person at Ministry of Labour and Employment, said Nepalis wishing to work in Afghanistan were going there through legal, as well as illegal channels.

According to him, a total of 8,889 Nepalis have officially gone to Afghanistan for work in the last 10 years.

He said many people were attracted to work as security guards in Afghanistan mainly because the service seekers preferred ex-soldiers of Nepali Army these days and Nepalis working in Afghanistan were getting at least Rs 100,000 salary per month.