KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 8 Prime Minister Sushila Karki has directed the concerned authorities to take immediate measures to curb the prevailing irregularities in the foreign employment sector. In a meeting held on Monday with officials from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and the Department of Foreign Employment, the Prime Minister underscored the urgent need to protect Nepali migrant workers from hardship, exploitation, and situations requiring emergency rescue. According to the Prime Minister's Secretariat, she instructed the responsible bodies to expedite the rescue of Nepali women currently stranded in Kuwait. The meeting also reviewed a range of labour-related issues. The Prime Minister cautioned the government against prioritizing the interests of foreign employment agencies while formulating policies. Instead, she emphasized that the safety and well-being of Nepali citizens seeking foreign employment must remain the foremost concern. 'Let us not work merely to serve the interests of manpower agencies. Let us ensure they are held accountable for safeguarding migrant workers and preventing them from being pushed into risky or vulnerable situations,' she stated. Prime Minister Karki also reminded government officials to strictly enforce the requirements mandating that all foreign employment aspirants acquire basic language proficiency and understand the nature of the work in their destination countries prior to departure. 'Migrant workers must develop language skills, understand their job responsibilities, and receive proper training. If the state collects taxes for granting foreign employment permits, it must, in return, ensure complete immigration security,' she added. She further called for stringent action against agents who lure unsuspecting individuals from rural areas into unsafe foreign employment, as well as manpower agencies in urban centres that exploit such individuals. Law Minister Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel, Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal, Prime Minister's Office secretaries Raj Kumar Shrestha and Gobinda Bahadur Karki, Labour Ministry Secretary Krishnahari Pushkar, Foreign Ministry Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, and Law Ministry Secretary Parashwor Dhungana were present at the meeting. (With inputs from Rastriya Samachar Samiti)