Kathmandu, April 24

Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari has expressed his commitment to focus on producing skilled manpower and take specialised skills to the international level alongside minimising the problems, challenges and fraudulent activities seen in the employment sector.

Talking to the US Ambassador Dean R Thompson at a meeting held at the ministry today, Minister Bhandari said that he has taken the lead to minimise the challenges by making maximum use of the opportunities available in the field of domestic and foreign employment. The minister also expressed his gratitude towards the US government for their support in various areas of Nepal through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), among other projects. He further informed that the government of Nepal is committed to eliminate all forms of child labour and has also sent a report in this regard to the Department of Labour of the US.

Stating that the cooperation between Nepal and the US across various fields is commendable, US Ambassador Thompson expressed his happiness on smooth progress of the MCC project. He praised the discipline and honesty shown by Nepali workers in foreign jobs and said the duration of USAID programme has been extended and that the US government will always support initiatives taken by Nepal to solve problems such as human trafficking during foreign employment.

Joint Secretaries of the ministry Danduraj Ghimire and Rajeev Pokharel and Under Secretary Kabiraj Upreti, among other officials, also participated in the meeting.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 25, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.