Migration can boost South Asia’s recovery and support long-term development

As South Asia reels from the impacts of unprecedented economic shocks, migration can boost its recovery and support long-term development, says the World Bank in its latest regional economic update.

‘Coping with Shocks: Migration and the Road to Resilience’ is the subject of a two-day conference that opened today in Kathmandu, organised by the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) and the World Bank (WB), according to the multilateral development partner. The conference provides academics and researchers a platform to discuss the current situation, challenges and advancements related to migration in South Asia.

Migration drives economic growth as it allows people to move to where they are more productive. International migrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, who work in the Gulf states, for example, earn up to five times what they would at home and help generate some of the largest remittance inflows in the world. Nepal derives an estimated 20 per cent of its income from remittance inflows, and in Bangladesh and Pakistan, remittance revenue accounts for 6 per cent and 8 per cent equivalent of their GDP, respectively. Migration also allows people to adjust to local economic shocks, such as extreme-weather disasters, to which South Asia’s rural poor are highly vulnerable, the report adds.

“While migration has numerous economic benefits, the costs of moving such as credit constraints, lack of information, and labor market frictions prevent them from being fully realized,” said secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security Eaknarayan Aryal, addressing the conference. “Nepal and countries across South Asia must work to facilitate labour mobility as doing so is vital to the region’s recovery and resilience to future shocks,” he added.

Poor South Asian migrants, many of whom hold temporary jobs in the informal sector, face several challenges such as precarious labour market conditions, visas tied to employment, and limited access to social protection. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed their long-standing vulnerabilities as they were disproportionately affected by restrictions to movement. However, the later phase of the pandemic has highlighted the crucial role migration can play in facilitating recovery. Survey data from the report suggests that in late 2021 and early 2022, migration flows are associated with movement from areas hit hard by the pandemic to those that were not, thus helping equilibrate demand and supply of labor in the aftermath of the Covid-19 shock. In Nepal, by late 2021, migrants were 13 percentage points more likely to be employed than those who did not migrate after facing job loss during the early months of the pandemic.

“Migration is picking up again in South Asia, but remains slow and uneven, raising concerns that the pandemic shock has had long-term impacts on the costs and frictions associated with it,” said World Bank chief economist for South Asia Hans Timmer, on the occasion. “Policymakers must address these often-prohibitive costs and frictions and incorporate measures to de-risk migration.”

The report offers several recommendations on cutting the high costs of migration, including drawing bilateral and multilateral agreements, strengthening the remittance infrastructure, and offering information and training programmes to help potential migrants make better decisions about moving. It also offers recommendations on de-risking migration through means such as more flexible visa policies, mechanisms to support migrant workers during shocks, and social protection programmes.

“South Asia is the largest beneficiary of remittance in the world,” IIDS executive chair Dr. Biswash Gauchan said, adding that remittance has played a central role in alleviating poverty, coping with economic shocks, and making substantial progress toward sustainable development goals in Nepal. “However, the socioeconomic and political cost of migration is also very high in the country where a substantial number of the working-age population has gone abroad in search of employment.”

Nepal urges Malaysia to increase minimum wage of Nepali migrant workers

 Nepal has asked Malaysia to increase minimum wage of Nepali workers in Malaysia.

During the meeting with minister for Home Affairs of Malaysia Hamzah Zainuddin, the visiting Nepali minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Krishna Kumar Shrestha urged to increase minimum wage, service and facility of Nepali workers including security guards in Malaysia.

He also asked the Malaysian minister to increase the monthly salary of Nepali security guards to 3,000 Malaysian ringgit.

They held discussion on a gamut of issues including providing more employment opportunities to Nepali workers by making arrangements of security guard-related training in Nepal and making zero-cost principle effective. They also discussed on making improved arrangements of health, social security and 24-hour insurance facilities, according to a press note issued by the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia.

Qatar exploits migrant workers: Amnesty International

 A new report by Amnesty International (AI) has revealed how migrant domestic workers employed in Qatar have been pushed to breaking point by extreme overwork, lack of rest, and abusive and degrading treatment, weeks after the gas-rich country gathered all the praise for introducing landmark labour reforms like abolishing exploitative ‘kafala’ system and fixing a new minimum wage.

The AI said – in its report – that it spoke to 105 women, who had been employed as live-in domestic workers in Qatar and found that their rights were still being abused and violated despite government reforms aimed at improving their working conditions. Some women had been victims of serious crimes like sexual assault, it reads, adding that as many as 90 of the 105 women contacted by the London-based advocacy group said they regularly worked more than 14 hours per day; 89 reported regularly working seven days a week; and 87 had their passports confiscated by their employers. “Half of the women worked more than 18 hours per day, and most had never had a single day off at all.”

Some also reported not being appropriately paid, while 40 women described being insulted, slapped or spat at, it adds.

All of this gruesome treatment of domestic workers had taken place despite in 2017 Qatar introducing the Domestic Workers Law, which stipulated limits on working hours, mandatory daily breaks, a weekly day off and paid holidays. “The introduction of the 2017 Domestic Workers Law was a step forward for labour rights protection in Qatar,” head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International Steve Cockburn was quoted in the report. “Sadly, the accounts of the women we spoke to make it clear that these reforms have not been properly implemented or enforced.”

“Almost all had their passport confiscated by their employers, and others described not getting their salaries and being subjected to vicious insults and assaults,” said Cockburn.

The Gulf state hosts around 173,000 migrant domestic workers. Some of the women interviewed were still in their jobs, whereas others had left but remained in Qatar, and others had returned to their home countries.

According to their contracts, domestic workers should work no more than 10 hours a day, six days a week, which is already higher than standards set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). On an average they worked 16 hours per day, without being paid any overtime.

The Qatari Domestic Workers Law limits working hours to a maximum of ten hours a day but allows for this to be extended, if agreed by the worker. Many women said they felt scared to refuse their employers’ endless requests for more work, even when they needed to rest, the report reads, adding that at least 23 women said they were not given enough food and felt hungry during their employment in Qatar. “Some women also described sleeping in cramped rooms, in some cases on the floor or without air conditioning.”

Forty women reportedly said they had suffered verbal and physical abuse such as degrading treatment, shouting and insults. Another 15 women said they faced physical abuse at the hands of their employers or family members, including spitting, beating, kicking, punching and hair-pulling. As many as five women had been sexually abused by their employers or visiting relatives. Most women felt they could not complain to the police for fear of retaliation by their employers.

The rights group notes that Qatar has utterly failed to hold abusive employers to account.

As a party to various international treaties prohibiting human rights abuses, Qatar is obliged to protect all workers and to provide remedies when those rights are violated. “We are calling on the Qatari authorities to take concrete steps to ensure full implementation of the law, establish strict inspection mechanisms, and take serious actions against abusive employers,” Cockburn said.

Qatar has utterly failed to hold abusive employers to account, which means there is little to deter future abuses. Practices such as passport confiscation and unpaid wages, which indicate forced labour, are not being automatically investigated, and rarely face consequences even when they refuse to hand passports over or pay dues, the report reads.

Prior to 2018 domestic workers had no access to grievance mechanisms, but when Qatar established the Committees for the Settlement of Labour Disputes, they were finally allowed to submit complaints to these tribunals. However, the process remains beset with delays and other issues. More than half the women AI spoke to reported delayed or unpaid wages, but the very few who felt able to submit claims to the Committees found the process slow and stressful.

One major flaw in the system is that domestic workers risk losing their legal status, income and a place to stay while their complaints are processed. They need a safe refuge and income to support themselves during the process; however, with a government-run shelter not fully operational, complaining at the Committees is not a viable option for most women, it adds.

Man involved in mercilessly beating Nepali security guard in Malaysia is a fellow Nepali: Nepali Embassy

Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur has revealed that a person, who is seen mercilessly beating a Nepali security guard – in a viral video – in Malaysia is a fellow Nepali national, according to a press note issued today.
The Embassy said that the man – who has been seen thrashing the Nepali security guard – has been identified as Ram Gopal Murau from Kapilvastu. “The man – who was beaten mercilessly – has been identified as Islam Hussain from Nawalaparasi,” the press note reads, adding that Murau works as a supervisor, whereas Hussain is working as a security guard in Malaysia. “Both the Nepali nationals have been, however, illegally staying in Malaysia for a long time.”
Both of them came into the contact of the embassy after the embassy lodged a complaint with local authorities seeking action against the guilty. “During their conversation with the embassy officials, they admitted that the incident took place at 10 am on July 7,” the press note reads, adding that Murau presented himself before Wangsa Maju police station on Monday.
The embassy had lodged a complaint last week after a video – that appeared to show a Malaysian man indiscriminately hitting a Nepali guard with a baton – went viral. Shortly after the video of the incident went viral on social media, the embassy had lodged a complaint at the police station to initiate investigation into the incident.
In the one-minute video posted online, a man is seen using a baton to beat the guard, who does not retaliate. The man is also seen punching the guard in his face while shouting at him toward the end of the video clip that has gone viral in social media. Soon after the video went viral in social media, hundreds of social media users – both in Nepal and abroad – reposted it and demanded stringent action against the person mercilessly beating the helpless Nepali man.
Earlier, Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) had also called for police to track down and arrest the person caught on the video. The MTUAC said the ‘abuse was unacceptable.’
Meanwhile, Security Industry Association of Malaysia Committee member Datuk Basant Singh had also separately lodged a police complaint over the video, according to a news report published in a Malaysian newspaper.

Protection of migrant workers key

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that protection of the most vulnerable, including the migrant workers and those in informal sectors, and provision of adequate social security and health care is key to minimise the impact of Covid-19.
Prime Minister oli – addressing virtual ‘Global Summit on Covid-19 and the World of Work: Building a Better Future of Work’ convened by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) today, he also said that the world economy has suffered a lot due to global decline in investment, trade and disruption in travel industry, which has thrown millions of workers and enterprise vulnerable. “The impact is unevenly high in the LDCs and low-income countries,” he said.
Expressing support to the human-centred agenda of decent work, he called for robust global response to the pandemic with United Nations (UN) and its specialised agencies like ILO at the centre.
Highlighting that the migrant workers are losing hopes and returning home in the midst of pandemic without protection of job and income, Prime Minister Oli said that this situation could have been avoided and norms of WHO should have been observed in the process.
“Humanity is tested in the time of crisis; our conscience should guide us to uphold justice and fairness even in the time of extreme difficulty,” he said, adding that international solidarity at this hour could prevent the job loss, return of migrant workers and reversal in the progress of SDG and resulting rise of poverty.
The Prime Minister underlined the efforts made by Nepal to the prevention and mitigation of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. Highlighting the immediate and medium-term measures taken to the protection of workers in the formal and informal sectors and creation of sustainable employment opportunities, he expressed commitment to partnership and social dialogue at the national level and called for greater solidarity to address the situation globally.
The Global summit has brought together over 50 heads of the State and Government, prominent leaders of employers organisations and trade unions as well as heads of international organisations to discuss on the impact of Covid-19 in the employment and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of workers around the world.

ILO, NRNA seal Rs 51 million grant deal to help evacuate stranded Nepali migrant workers abroad

The International Labor Organisation (ILO) has today agreed to provide Rs 51 million grant to the Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA) to rescue Nepali migrant workers from Malaysia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia. They have been stranded in those labour destinations due to Covid-19 pandemic.
NRNA president Kumar Pant shared that an agreement has been signed between the ILO and NRNA. “We are pleased to share that the ILO under the United Nations has agreed with us to provide $4,24310 (equivalent to Rs 51 million) grant to NRNA," he said, adding that the grant will be utilised to rescue Nepali migrant workers stuck in Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to coronavirus outbreak. “The grant will also be used to study the impact of Covid-19 in labour market.”
The NRNA is coordinating with the Nepali diplomatic missions in Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to set up its separate offices to evacuate stranded Nepali migrant workers, according to Pant.

Reduction in remittances can have other major ripple effects on Nepali economy

LORENA LANDO
Chief of Mission
International Organization for Migration – IOM
Kathmandu, Nepal
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Loren Lando is Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Nepal since September 2019. Prior to her posting in Nepal, she was IOM Chief of Mission to the Republic of Tunisia (2011 – 2019), Deputy Chief of Mission in Sri Lanka (2010 – 2011), Chief of Mission a.i. in France (2009 – 2010), Deputy Chief of Mission in Afghanistan (2006 – 2008). Earlier she also worked in Iraq, Jordan, in the Balkans, Liberia and Central America. Lando has been serving in development and humanitarian field for over 25 years and has been advocating for migrants’ rights, migrants protection, and highlighting the contribution of migration to development during her service with IOM since 2000. Earlier Lando holds an International Post-graduate Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance, Fordham University, New York, USA; Post-graduate Diploma on Civilian Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations, Scuola Sup. Sant’Anna di Pisa, Italy; Certificate in Development Studies, University of London, UK; and BA with Honours in Modern Languages (Maj) and SocioEconomics Studies, University of Westminster, London, UK. An Italian national, Lando speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian. We talked talks about the current woes of migrants, their evacuation, depleting remittance sent by them, with her on the occasion of International Day of Family Remittances that falls on June 16 ever year.

What is this year's motto and programmes for International Day of Family Remittances, and how has IOM planned to celebrate in such troubled times?
The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR), which is observed on 16 June every year, is a universally-recognized observance adopted by the United Nations. The day recognises the contribution of over 200 million migrant workers to improve the lives of their 800 million family members back home and to create a future of hope for their children.
The IDFR is fully recognised at global level, and included as one of the key initiatives to implement the newly-adopted Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, also calling for the reduction of remittance transfer costs, and greater financial inclusion through remittances. The Day is also functional to the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year, the IDFR will be observed, as you called, in such a ‘troubled times’. Covid-19 has changed the world. Millions of migrant workers are losing their jobs, and many remittance-receiving households are suddenly pushed below the poverty line, bringing to a halt efforts to reach their own individual SDGs.
With estimated 2.4 million Nepalis working in over 100 countries across the globe and contribution of remittances in GDP equivalent to 27.3 per cent in 2019, remittances are a lifeline for over 50 per cent Nepali households.
To mark the day in Nepal, IOM is hosting a webinar on ‘Impacts of Covid-19 in Remittances and Nepalese Economy’ which will bring together regulatory authorities and experts to discuss on the impact of the pandemic and way forward. The webinar is on 16 June starting at 11am. The invitation is open to all. Anybody interested can join through this link.
Similarly a radio episode is being aired on impacts of Covid-19 on remittances and its consequences on migrants’ families and the country through a radio network of over 200 radio stations all over Nepal.   
In addition to that, with the aim to encourage the migrants and their families to convert remittances into sustainable source of livelihoods, IOM, remittance through social media outlets, will be posting testimonies of few returnee migrants who have been successfully running their small-scale businesses back home utilising the.

How has the IOM been collaborating with the Nepal government to bring in the Nepali migrant workers from different labour destination countries?
Sadly, as all other crisis the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the most vulnerable the hardest. The migrants are disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of the pandemic, including soaring unemployment rates and possible loss of income. With nearly all countries worldwide enforcing travel restrictions in an effort to contain the spread of virus, many migrants are unable to return to their countries or origin or reach their intended destinations.
Nepali migrants are certainly no exception. According to various sources, around 450,000 Nepali migrants are projected to lose their jobs and over 127,000 migrants are already in need of immediate assistance in host countries with little or no support and are unable to support their families at home. The Government of Nepal has started repatriation of Nepali migrants beginning last week on priority basis. Most of them have lost their jobs and many are in need of immediate assistance. 
With this evolving situation, IOM, in coordination and partnership with CSOs, other UN Agencies, and development partners, has been supporting the Government in its efforts to address the migrants-related issues. In line with IOM Covid-19 global preparedness and response plan to control further transmission and mitigate the impact of the outbreak, IOM Nepal’s focus initially are on preparedness and response, however, recovery is a major activity to address the socio-economic reintegration of the vulnerable groups. 
IOM has proposed strategic actions to support a coordinated prevention, mitigation and response efforts of stakeholders from federal, provincial and cross-border to control transmission and mitigate negative impact in the society and reduce a huge strain in the health care system, aligned with Health Sector Emergency Plan for Covid-19 pandemic and Joint UN Country Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal.
Currently, IOM has been providing technical support and expertise to Ministry of Health on issues related to migration health during the health cluster coordination meetings.
IOM leads the migrant protection sub-group consisting of government agencies, civil society, development partners and UN, which discusses prevailing the protection concerns of migrants and suggests way forward to address the issues. IOM will identify most vulnerable migrants and provide cash support to address their immediate needs as well as a longer-term reintegration supports to some migrants. 
IOM will be providing Non-food Items (NFIs) to most vulnerable communities of provinces 1, 5 and Sundurpaschim province. Personal protective equipment such as 3000 coverall, 1000 goggles, 3000 gloves, 3000 N95 masks, 25,000 surgical masks, 275 liters of hand sanitizers will be provided mainly for point of entries (PoEs).
IOM has been running various migrants-focused risk communications such as television and radio programmes, audio/visual messages and social media campaigns to raise migrants-related issues and raise awareness among Nepali migrants both in the country as well as in destination countries about preventive measures to help spread of the virus, to mental health issues during the crisis, as well as awareness among general public against anti-migrants discrimination and stigma as spreader of the virus. IOM has also developed a one-stop online information center for migrants with all migration-related information in Nepal such as travel restrictions, work permit, visa, migrant-focused awareness raising messages and so on. 
IOM will be conducting a few separate quick assessments to understand migration and migration health situation, skills and vulnerability of returning migrants.

Has there any role of IOM in evacuating the foreign workers from Nepal also?
IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization to advocate for migrants’ rights irrespective of their migratory status. All migrants are first human – so ensuring their human rights is basic. In this connection, during the current pandemic situation for both foreign nationals residing in Nepal and Nepali migrants in foreign countries, IOM advocates that it’s shared responsibility of both host and government of origin as well as employing company/organization to ensure safety of migrants wherever they are with full respect of their human rights. They should be treated with equality, dignity and respect irrespective of their gender and migration status.
Therefore, IOM keeps a close eyes on migrants’ needs such as evacuation of foreign nationals living in Nepal and the Nepali migrants in foreign countries and handling of the situation by the governments.   

According to the World Bank, the remittance inflow to Nepal is going to plunge by a whopping 14 percent this year, is there any way IOM can do anything in this regard?
That’s right, with job losses as we discussed above as well, the World Bank has projected that remittance inflow to Nepal is going down by 14 percent. Nepal Rastra Bank has also recorded that remittance inflow in past two months mostly after the nationwide lockdown was enforced is less by nearly 50 per cent compared to the same period last year. A reduction in remittances can have other major ripple effects on Nepali economy and communities, resulting in a decrease in productive investment, consumption spending and access to education and health services, ultimately has the potential to hinder the efforts made to achieve the development goals. As such, it is critical that action is taken to ensure that remittances keep flowing including through supporting greater access to and use of digital technologies.
With the view to leaving no one behind in the current crisis, it is essential that all stakeholders - policy makers, private sector and civil society - come together and focus on specific measures we can take in this regard to support migrants and their families. The government policy responses to the Covid-19 crisis need to include migrants in all short, medium, and long-term interventions to support stranded migrants, regularize remittance inflow, recovery supports for migrants’ families who have lost subsistence income, and access to health, house, education and nutrition. A coordinated approach between the Nepal Rastra Bank and migration-related stakeholders, specifically the Foreign Employment Board, to market the Foreign Employment Saving Bond can be conducted. In addition, the private sector can be better mobilized to increase the ownership of programmes targeted to returnees such as the returnee soft loan programme. Returnee migrants should be equipped with business training to help produce viable business plans, and a one-stop center for returnee migrants to access information on available resources and advisory services for potential entrepreneurs and jobseekers should be prioritised.
A mechanism can be established to recognize skills of returnee migrants and the aforementioned one-stop-center can direct and guide them to right field such as agriculture, tourism and small-scale entrepreneurship in any other sector. Now is the time to utilise those human and economic capitals into national development. Collecting data on returnee migrants reflecting their skills should be initiated sooner than later in coordination between all authorities related to foreign employment. This will help in formulating plans and policies for reintegration of returnees as well as overall skill development and employment programmes and plans.

The current Covid-19 situation seems to continue till almost a year now and movement of the migrants also seemed to be curtailed. How can the IOM help promote safe migration? 
IOM Nepal’s ongoing and proposed preparedness and response activities are aligned with IOM’s global preparedness and response plans to control further transmission and mitigate the impact of the outbreak, and aimed to contribute to the efforts of the government. Those activities are responsive to population mobility and cross-border dynamics, and that inclusive approaches which take into account migrants, travelers, displaced populations, and local communities, and counter misinformation that can lead to anti-migrant sentiment, stigma and discrimination are essential in the event of an outbreak.

Finally, do you have anything to say to Nepali migrants stuck in foreign countries due to travel restrictions or anything to overall Nepali people? 
Nepalese people have a proud history of picking themselves up ever stronger after every crisis, for instance the 2015 earthquake. You rebuilt your houses and livelihood again and made Nepal into a more resilient and stronger country than it was before in such short span of time. As in the past, we are together with Nepalis to get through this difficult days as well and your come back is not too distant future.
To the Nepalese who are waiting to come back home from foreign countries, the Nepal government has been in regular contact with the government of your host country to make sure the host government takes care of you, protects you from Covid-19 and ensures your safety. I believe you are in contact with Nepali embassy there and the embassy will coordinate for your flights soonest possible.
Please, do take care of yourself whatever the situation is. Take positive thoughts, try to have healthy and balanced meals, enough sleep and regular physical exercise. Speak to your family and friends through digital technology on regular basis. Do not read, listen or watch too much of negative news about the crisis. Getting an updated information only once or twice a day will suffice. You may visit IOM Nepal social media pages and webpage where you will find useful messages and information for you.

Government lists out hotels available for quarantine

The government has listed some 47 hotels – in the first phase – in Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Chitwan and Rupandehi that are available for quarantine service for migrant worker returnees, who will be evacuated from abroad starting from yesterday.
Yesterday, some 26 Nepalis have been evacuated from Myanmar, and some 168 Nepalis from UAE in a chartered flight of Air Arabia. They have been transported to holding centres – managed by the Nepal Army (NA) – before they travel back to home their districts. About 20 holding centres have been set up in Kathmandu for returning Nepalis and are designated province-wise. The passengers will stay there for 2 to 3 days awaiting results of their PCR tests, and will then be taken by bus to their home province for further quarantine and self-isolation. Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) has offered the hotels for quarantine.
However, there is a confusion as the Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO) – under the Ministry of Home Affairs – published the list of hotels in Kathmandu Valley available for quarantine service public yesterday, according to the HAN. “We have provided the list of hotels including star, tourist standard and deluxe resorts in the Kathmandu Valley, Chitwan, Rupandehi and Pokhara, but the Kathmandu CDO yesterday published the notice of hotels in Kathmandu Valley only,” complained HAN representatives.
HAN had provided the Kathmandu district office with the preliminary list of hotels willing to provide their space to be used as quarantine facilities. “There is no coordination among the Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) that acts as the secretariat of the high-level coordination committee led by deputy prime minister and defence minister Ishwor Pokharel, and chief district offices,” the HAN said, adding that they will hold talks tomorrow on the issue with them. “HAN will also update the list as more hotels will come forward to offer this service in the future.”
Star hotels like Grand Hotel, Swiss International, Hotel Sarowar, Airport Hotel, Hotel Baishali, Summit Residency Hotel, Hotel Marsyangdi, Platinum Hotel, Hotel Manang, Hotel Landmark, Hotel Moonlight, Hotel Sabrina, Hotel Landmark, Hotel Kamal are available in Kathmandu and Pokhara for quarantining the Nepali returnees. The tourist standard hotels including CG Group of Hotels, Vivanta Kathmandu, Lapha Hotel, Hotel Readers Inn, Hotel Everest Mount Holiday, Mirage Lords Inn, Hotel Yambu, Hotel Family Home, Shiva Shankar Hotel, Hotel River, Landmark Forest Park in Kathmandu and Chitwan have also offered their services for the returnee Nepalis.
Likewise, Dreamland Gold Resort at Rupandehi and Park Village in Kathmandu are also available for the quarantine service. The rate of the hotel rooms starts from Rs 2,000 inclusive of four meals a day and the rate can vary depending on the grading of the hotels.
The government has started evacuating migrant Nepali workers from yesterday. The government has made it mandatory for the migrant Nepalis to be quarantined once they reach Nepal. Those who want to and are able to afford the hotel arrangements can use the available hotels for their quarantine, according to the CCMC.
HAN offered their help as the hotels across the country remain shut – from March 24 onwards – due to lockdown because of the Covid-19 outbreak across the world. The travel restrictions imposed across the country have also affected the hotel industry.

Lawmakers ask to bring supplementary budget before regular budget

Lawmakers today demanded the government to bring supplementary budget – to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus – before the regular budget for the next fiscal year.
Commenting on the ‘Principals and Priorities of the Budget for the next fiscal year’ – presented by the finance minister Dr Yub Raj Khatiwada at the house yesterday – they asked the government to first bring immediate relief measures, through supplementary budget, as the economy has suffered a lot due to one-and-a-half month lockdown clamped to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The parliamentarians, on the occasion, also demanded the government to prioritise four sectors—employment generation, agriculture, health and the education—in the federal budget for the next fiscal year 2020-21.
They also said that as the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is taking away jobs from thousands of Nepalis within the country and out in different labour destinations, the primary focus of the new budget should be creating jobs. “The government to hold adequate discussions within the House and outside before presenting the budget,” they said, adding that
The finance minister has to present the budget every year on Jesth 15, which falls on May 28 this year.
Dr Khatiwada will present the budget for next fiscal year 2020-21 in the Parliament on May 28, though the budget session has started late due to coronavirus pandemic. The government has escaped the pre-budget discussions, and holding the discussion from today before programmes and Policies to be presented by the president on May 15.
The lawmakers – of almost all the political parties in the House – has a unanimous view that the government should not set ambitious targets and be realistic in its budget focusing on resolving the problems created by the pandemic. The government has as always like in the normal times has targeted to get double digit growth, which it has failed to achieve in the last fiscal year and fiscal year too, and of course seems not possible in the next fiscal year also.
The incumbent government and finance minister – who is going to present the budget for the third year in the row – has repeatedly failed to not only achieve the growth target but also crack whip on inflation, and also create investment friendly environment. “The private sector that has already been under threat from the government and its machinery that have been directly involved in the extortion, has not been able to operate business but the government has ordered to pay the complete salary of last month and thus month too,” said an entrepreneur, who did not wanted to be named due to fear from the finance minister and the incumbent government that does not like to hear criticism. 
The government has failed to pay the salary to government staff, how can private sector – without operating industries – pay salary of the workers for two months without work, he said, adding that they have not been reaping huge profits as assumed by the public. “The government is taking loan from the development partners to pay salary to its staff, and how can the private sector pay salary to its workers without any support.”
On the occasion, Nepali Congress lawmaker Minendra Rijal, also the shadow finance minister, said that thousands of migrant Nepali workers, and also those inside the country, have lost their jobs. “The government must thus focus on creating jobs,” he said, adding that the government also does not have exact data of how many Nepalis are currently employed abroad, though estimates suggest the number could be in millions.
There are over 1.5 million Nepali youths in Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait alone, according to the Migration in Nepal report. Likewise, some 3 million to 4 million people are employed in India. “The economic slowdown in these source countries has already hit the job market hard,” he said, adding that some 3,500 Nepali workers have registered to return home from Kuwait. “More unemployed Nepali migrant workers means more drop in remittance inflow, which will lead to decline in the import and affect revenue mobilisation.”
Urging the government to bring a realistic budget, he also said that despite agriculture accounting for one third of the country’s economy, the sector still continues to be neglected.
The lawmakers also demanded to allocate at least 10 per cent of the budget for the agriculture sector from currently 5 per cent that comes to around Rs 1.53 trillion.
The lawmakers also called the government to empower the local governments to help them implement projects more effectively, spend more to upgrade healthcare system, and invest more to develop infrastructure for online studies.

AI charges Qatar for illegally expelling migrant workers

After Qatari authorities rounded up and expelled dozens of migrant workers after telling them they were being taken to be tested for Covid-19, Amnesty International (AI) has called on to ensure that any worker detained and threatened with expulsion is informed of the reasons and allowed to challenge them. “Qatar should also ensure effective remedy and reparation for any worker, whose rights have been violated,” the AI press note recommends, adding that the Qatari authorities must also ensure all migrant workers’ right to health is fully protected during the Covid-19 crisis.

The AI interviewed 20 men from Nepal, who were apprehended by Qatari police, alongside hundreds of others, in March, the press note reads, adding that the police told most of the men that they were going to be tested for Covid-19 and will be returned to their accommodation afterwards. “Instead, they were taken to detention centres and held in appalling conditions for several days, before being sent to Nepal.”

“None of the men we spoke to had received any explanation for why they were treated this way, nor were they able to challenge their detention or expulsion,” Amnesty International’s (AI) deputy director of Global Issues Steve Cockburn said, adding that after spending days in inhumane detention conditions, many were not even given the chance to collect their belongings before they were put on planes to Nepal. “It is disturbing that the Qatari authorities appear to have used the pandemic as a smokescreen for further abuses against migrant workers, many of whom feel police misled them by saying that they were to be ‘tested’.”

Covid-19 is no excuse for arbitrarily rounding people up, he added.

“The authorities must provide reparations for the way that these men have been treated, and consider allowing those who have been expelled to return to Qatar if they so wish,” he said, “The men’s employers must also urgently pay the salary and employment benefits they are owed.”

On March 12-13, hundreds of migrant workers were rounded up and detained by police in parts of Doha including the Industrial Area, Barwa City, and Labour City, the TI press note reads, adding that they were apprehended whilst away from their accommodation, carrying out errands or shopping for groceries.

Some workers said the police specifically told them that they were being taken to be tested for Covid-19, and would be brought back to their accommodation later. Other workers said the police spoke to them in Arabic and the only word they could understand was ‘Corona’.

One man told Amnesty International, “We were asked to stop to test for the virus. Police told us that the doctor would come and check the virus. But they lied to us.”

The men were then crammed on to buses, and taken to a detention facility in the Industrial Area, where their documents and mobile phones were confiscated, before having their photographs and fingerprints taken, the AI press note further reads, adding that the workers were detained in inhumane conditions alongside scores of other people from various countries. “They were held in overcrowded cells without beds or bedding, and not given enough food or water.”

One Nepali man told AI: “The jail was full of people. We were given one piece of bread each day, which was not enough. All the people were fed in a group, with food lying on plastic on the floor. Some were not able to snatch the food because of the crowd.”

Out of the 20 interviewed, only three said they had their temperature checked while they were in the detention facility.

While they were in detention, the men Amnesty International interviewed were told they were being expelled, with some only learning about it while being taken to the airport. Some were expelled on March 15, and others on March 19. None were able to challenge their detention or expulsion.

Some were given just a few minutes to pack their belongings, while others were not given the chance to collect anything at all. One man said, “I was handcuffed and treated like a criminal. I was taken to my camp to collect belongings, but how could I collect and pack the luggage since my hands were chained?”

Most workers said they had their temperatures taken at Hamad International Airport before boarding their flights, and again upon landing in Kathmandu.

Some said the police threatened to bring criminal charges against them and keep them in the detention facility longer if they complained or tried to challenge the situation, the press note reads.

Of the 20 people interviewed, only two said they have been contacted by the companies they worked for, offering to pay their salaries. One man said he was given cash by his company whilst in detention, but a police officer took it for ‘safekeeping’ and failed to return it. The other man said his company asked him to open a bank account to send him his wages.

All of the workers left Qatar without receiving their owed salary and end-of-service benefits, a particular concern as many will have spent huge sums on securing jobs in Qatar and may well be paying back high-interest loans.

One man said, “It is difficult now. My children do not have clothes, it is tough to feed them.” Another said he was being threatened by a moneylender and was struggling to support his five children.

In response to Amnesty International’s evidence, the Qatari government said that while inspecting the Industrial Area as part of the Covid-19 response, “officials uncovered individuals engaged in illegal and illicit activity. This included the manufacture and sale of banned and prohibited substances, along with the sale of dangerous food goods that could seriously threaten the health of people if consumed”.

However, 18 of those interviewed by AI said they were not aware of any charges or accusations brought against them. Two others said that a fellow detainee who spoke Arabic told them that they were accused of supplying alcohol. Neither the police nor any officials informed them of such charges, which they strongly denied to AI.

AI reviewed documents in Arabic that were given to the men, which do not suggest they were charged with any criminal offence. In any event, none of the men interviewed were allowed to challenge the legality of their detention and eventual expulsion, as required under international human rights law.

Central bank forces BFIs to issue subsidised loans

After receiving lots of complaints that targeted groups have not received concessional loan, the central bank today instructed commercial banks to disburse subsidised loans to at least 500 borrowers by mid-July 2020.
Likewise, the central bank – in its circular – instructed that the ‘B’ class development banks require to float such concessional loans to a minimum of 200 borrowers, whereas ‘C’ class financial institutions need to disburse such loans to 100 borrowers by the end of the current fiscal year.
The scheme aims to give access to cheaper credit to different groups, including educated self-employed youths, returnee migrant workers, dalits, women entrepreneurs, earthquake survivors and youths.
“The banks and financial institutions, however, cannot count borrowers under commercial agro and livestock farming as beneficiary of concessional loans,” the circular reads, adding that the banks and financial institutions that do not meet the requirement by the deadline will face the central bank’s fine.
The government has announced – through the budget speech for the current fiscal year 2018-19 – interest-subsidised loans to targeted groups. Under the scheme, the government subsidises a certain per cent of the interest costs. The government bears five percentage points of interest rate on these loans, while the interest subsidy for loans for women-run enterprises is 6 percentage points, which means, if loan is floated at 13 per cent to a woman entrepreneur, the government will bear 6 per cent interest while the remaining 7 per cent will have to be paid by the borrower.
Though, some of the borrowers have received commercial farming and livestock loans under the scheme, there are not much who have benefited from the subsidised-interest loans on other six categories. According to the central bank, the outstanding concessional loans extended to 18,805 borrowers for selected agriculture and livestock businesses stands at Rs 38.20 billion as of mid-October 2019. “The concessional loan outstanding to other headings remains Rs 1.10 billion utilised by 1,854 beneficiaries.”
While the commercial agriculture and livestock farming scheme was introduced few years ago, the government has added six other categories in the last fiscal year. Other categories include Rs 700,000 loan for educated self-employment youth, Rs 1 million for business projects promoted by returnee migrant workers, Rs 1.5 million for women-run enterprise and Rs 1 million for business promoted by members of ‘Dalit’ community. Earthquake survivors (up to Rs 300,000 to rebuild their houses) and youths (up to Rs 500,000 for higher, technical or entrepreneurship education) can also borrow from BFIs at subsidised interest rates.

UAE asks Nepal to lift restrictions on housemaids

Expressing interest to hire a large number of domestic help from Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has formally urged Nepal to completely lift foreign employment restrictions currently in place for housemaids.
UAE has urged the Nepal government to permit domestic workers under different categories to be able to seek jobs in the Gulf country, at the the first meeting of bilateral labour-related joint working committee between the two countries that concluded here today. .
According to Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the UAE government has expressed interest to hire a large number of domestic help from Nepal.
The UAE government is keen to hire governesses, nurses, housekeepers, cooks, among others, according to joint secretary at the ministry Ram Prasad Ghimire, who led the Nepali delegation in the bilateral talks.
The government has banned women from seeking jobs as domestic help in the Gulf countries following the reports that they faced severe abuses there. ”The UAE government’s request to lift restrictions on Nepali women to work as domestic helpers in the Gulf will be discussed thoroughly during the next meeting before any decision is taken,” Ghimire said, adding that both governments have agreed to effectively implement and enforce bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labour agreement signed on June 14.
Both the governments will set up a labour database, which will be linked between the UAE’s employment database and demand list, Nepal’s Embassy in UAE, Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), the foreign employment management information system (FEMIS) software at the labour ministry. It is expected to make the entire migration process of Nepali workers going to the UAE for employment more transparent.
The two-day meeting also finalised issues concerning effective enforcement of the MoU and fixing of the cost in regard with recruitment of workers, employment and their return, among others.

Some 70 per cent South Korea returnees running own businesses

Seventy per cent of South Korea returnee migrant workers are involved in their own business, according to a survey. 
“Some 20 per cent have returned South Korea for foreign employment, and the rest 10 per cent have been living idle,” revealed the survey conducted by Ankur Nepal, an organisation of the Korea returnees.
Korean Association of Returned Workers-Nepal (Ankur Nepal) conducted the survey among 955 Korea returnees across the country in association with the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB). “The trend of South Korea returnees engaging with self-employment is slowly increasing,” the report reads, adding that no less than 70 per cent of the South Korea returnees are involved in tourism sector, medium-size industry and farming.
In July, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) felicitated returnee migrants for their dedication in the agriculture, steel and garment sectors and also for being a source of inspiration for those who return from foreign jobs and want to start a business in Nepal. “Of the five awarded returnee migrants, three were South Korea returnees.”
According to the board, some 55,000 Nepali migrant workers went to South Korea but around 35,000 are currently working in South Korea and some 20,000 have returned to Nepal after completing their term in Korea.
The number of migrant workers leaving for South Korea is also going up and at the same time, the number of Korea returnees is also increasing. But chairman of Ankur Nepal, Lal Prasad Bhattarai – himself a South Korea returnee, who has had lived in South Korea for altogether 11 years – claimed that the South Korea returnees are disciplined, hard working and self employed. Bhattarai, who is now operating a tourism business in Kathmandu, also informed that Ankur Nepal was established in 2012 with a concrete goal of discouraging illegal migrant Nepali workers. The South Korean Embassy in Kathmandu is helping the organisation with regular trainings programmes. “We organise different programmes in association with the South Korean Embassy,” he said, adding that it also operates orientation and motivation classes for the migrant workers and their families. “It works for minimising the incidents of depression and suicide in Korea, too.”
Established with a motto ‘one South Korea returnee should provide employment to at least three Nepalis’, Ankur Nepal has 25,000 general members, 170 life members and a 15-member working committee at present.
South Korean envoy to Nepal Park Young-Sik, said that the Embassy organises programmes, in association with Ankur Nepal, on a regular basis to support the successful settlement of Nepalis, who returned from South Korea. “The returnee migrants should implement the skill and technology they have learned in Korea,” he said, adding that the embassy is supporting them in setting up of their businesses in Nepal.

Government plans counselling sessions for migrants

The government is planning to start special counselling sessions for Nepali migrant workers going to foreign employment.
Though, South Korea is considered a ‘safe’ and most lucrative destination, the number of Nepalis committing suicide or suffering from depression in the host country has been on the rise, said Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista, addressing a second ‘Workshop on the Role of the Private Sector in the Economic Development of Korea,’ organised by South Korean Embassy, here today. “The government is planning to start special counselling sessions, in collaboration with Korean government, for Nepalis going to work in South Korea,” he added.
South Korean envoy Park Young-Sik, addressing the event organised to support the successful settlement of workers who returned from Korea, suggested the returnee migrants to implement the skill and technology they have learned in Korea, back home. “The embassy is happy to help returnee migrants by supporting them in seting up of their businesses in Nepal,” he said, explaining how the South Korea has developed itself over the period of time.
"Even in Korea, under EPS Programme, about 35,000 Nepalis are working now in South Korea and more than 20,000 Nepali workers have already returned to Nepal," he said, highlighting the immense contribution that migrant workers, including from Korea, have made to the Nepali economic development. "Nepal’s foreign exchange reserve is healthy because of remittance as migrant workers sent remittance of $7.26 billion in the fiscal year 2017-18."
"That is about 25.1 per cent of the nation’s GDP," he added. "The healthy foreign exchange reserves obtained mainly from remittance allows Nepali people to buy foreign goods and services."
That's why Nepali economy is called as remittance-dependent and import-based one but the migrants’ money is mostly being spent on consumption which is the main reason for huge trade deficit, the envoy said, "Nepal government data shows that saving was only 15 per cent of the country’s total earnings in fiscal year 2017-18, while 85 per cent was spent on consumption for food, education, luxury goods, rent and so on."
If we include remittance, Nepal’s national savings would increase to 45 per cent. "Therefore, Nepal must make the best use of remittance," the envoy added.
However, the social cost of labour migration is troubling, particularly in terms of breakdown in the family, divorces and parenting void for the children who are left behind, according to dean of Asian Culture Centre in South Korea Kim Yong Kuk.
In a number of cases, Nepali migrants have taken their lives in South Korea due to mismatch in their expectations and the ground reality in the foreign land, work pressure, among other issues, director of EPS Korea Section under Department of Foreign Employment Krishna Prasad Khanal.
Likewise, economist Bishwo Poudel, on the occasion, emphasised on the need for the government to come up with policies for proper utilisation of remittance and capitalisation of skills of returnee migrants.
The returnees tend to blow their money on luxury goods and unproductive sector, which will land them in a difficult position when they get old, though the government is planning to ‘manage’ the remittance to secure the future of migrant workers, according to the participants.
However, the returnee migrants from South Korea are not only disciplined but also doing fairly better compared to the returnees from other destination countries, said Editor of Karobar National Economic Daily Kuber Chalise, presenting a paper on ‘Policy suggestion in creating employment for returnee migrants.’ “Out of the five returnee migrants, who were awarded by the government last week, three of them were from South Korea.”
Tracing back the history of Nepali migrant workers, Chalise said that the formal labour migration from Nepal started in 1814-1816, after the Nepal-British India war. “A total of 4,650 Nepali youngsters were recruited to the British Armed Forces as a British-Gurkha regiment after the conclusion of the war and signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816.”
However, migration picked the pace during the course of time and so has the inflow of remittance, the outflow has seen whopping increase after the Maoist insurgency in Nepal.
According to the World Bank record, Nepal had received $55 million in 1993, which increased by 15 times to $771 million in a decade in 2003. “In 2013, Nepal received $5589 million, and in 2019 Nepal is going to receive more than $8000 million.”
But the remittance inflow is fueling consumption, and killing entrepreneurship and productivity in the country, Chalise, said, adding that the government realising the mistake – it has been committing due to various reasons including conflict, uncertainty and political transition – is trying to correct it by launching a soft loan scheme for returnee migrants.
However, some 18,767 – some 893 women and 17,874 men – have applied for up to Rs 1 million soft loan at subsidised interest rate for 5 years, the government data revealed, adding that the highest applicants are from Province 3 – some 13,566 – and lowest are from Province 6 – some 294 – and the government is soon going to finalise those who will get the soft loan.
Emphasising on the technologies, skills and management methods learned in Korea were important factors for their success, the members of Korean Association of Returned Workers (ANKUR) – on the occasion – also made presentations about their enterprises.

Returnee migrant workers felicitated

The government has felicitated returnee migrant workers, who are staying back in the country operating their own enterprises.
Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) honoured them for setting an example of entrepreneurship in the country. The returnee migrants were felicitated for their dedication in the agriculture, steel and garment sectors, the ministry said, encouraging them for being a source of inspiration for those, who return from foreign jobs and want to start a business in Nepal.
Owner of Kantipur Poultry Breeding Firm of Bara Nabaraj Poudel was selected the most excellent returnee migrant entrepreneur of the year and was awarded a cash prize of Rs 100,000, whereas Dipak Chapagain of Jhapa, Nir Bahadur Raut and Ek Bahadur Syangtang of Bhojpur (jointly), Manoj Kumar Bharati of Makawanpur, Sharmila Adhikari of Jhapa and Trilok Paneru of Kailali were also honoured with a purse of Rs 50,000 for their entrepreneurial initiatives.
Of the five honoured at the ceremony, three are returnee migrant workers from South Korea.
Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista, felicitating the returnee migrant workers, said that it is just a small step towards promoting entrepreneurship in the country.
Use of local resources, amount of investment, tax compliance, employment creation, energy consumption, feasibility and whether their goods were exportable items are among the criterion fixed by the ministry for the award.
The ministry had, earlier, had published a notice seeking applications for the award.
Last year too, the government had honoured eight returnee migrant workers to encourage them to embrace entrepreneurship.

Ministry selects 99 health centres for migrants going to Malaysia

Out of 290 proposals under the criteria set by the Malaysian government, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) today has selected some 99 health check-up centres for foreign job aspirants, who wishes to go to Malaysia.
Along with the health check-up centres in the Valley, the ministry has also selected health some 12 check-up centres outside the Valley including in Kaski, Jhapa, Dhanusha, Sunsari, Banke, Chitwan, Dang and Kailali.
Earlier, migrants were receiving their health certificates from only 39 check-up centres that were authorised by the government of Malaysia. The dispute of the health centre has blown out of proportion that has stopped the outflow of Nepali migrant workers to Malaysia in recent months. After the government cracked down on Immigration Security Clearance and One Stop Centre that had been levying additional charges on Nepali migrants for obtaining health certificates, the government had stopped sending workers to Malaysia since last May.
Though, Nepal and Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the bilateral labour agreement last October, the process to send workers to Malaysia has not resumed yet.
Though the ministry claims that it has brought the new policy for Malaysia-bound workers to break the monopoly of some health check-up centres – operating for a long period of time – the opposition blamed the government for disrupting the outflow of the Nepali migrant workers to Malaysia, the first choice of the Nepali migrants. But the government claimed that it has finalised the list of the health check-up institutions on the basis of the Malaysian government’s new health standard guideline that clarifies the medical requirements for migrant workers.

A Nepali killed in Libya detention centre bombing

At least 44 people – including a Nepali citizen – were killed in the airstrikes that hit a Libyan migrant detention centre – Tajoura detention center for migrants – near the Libyan capital of Tripoli, today, according to Nepali embassy in Egypt’s capital city Cairo. The embassy has identified the deceased as 27-year-old Santosh Shrestha of Bensisahar-11 in Lamjung district.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya, Shrestha was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital. The embassy in Cairo – citing the IOM – said that it is trying to gather further information about the deceased.
Shrestha had reached Libya paying money to brokers a few months back but could not earn as he expected. Brokers told him that he can earn more in Europe. Shrestha was preparing to leave for Europe paying some more money to the brokers. He had also called home and asked for Rs 600,000. His family sent Rs 600,000 to pay to the brokers in Italy a month back and thought he is on his way to Europe.
However, he was detained in the detention center for migrants near Tripoli with others, who try to illegally enter Europe through Libya.
The IOM had also asked for Shrestha’s travel document two days ago, according to press note that further reads that the embassy had sent the documents to the IOM in Egypt to be sent to IOM in Libya as courier service takes long time to dispatch the documents to war-torn Libya.
The air raid, involving two missiles, occurred in the early hours today morning and left the detention centre a charred ruin. The detention centre in the east of Tripoli was housing more than 610 people, where 44 – including many women and children – were killed and 130 severely injured when it was hit by two airstrikes.
The death toll represents one of the largest single losses of civilian life since the civil war in 2011, according to a the embassy press note that reads that eight other Nepalis stranded in Libya were rescued and sent to Nepal via Turkey today while the preparation is ongoing to send six other Nepalis in the Tripoli-based IOM camp to Nepal as soon as possible.
“In the past two months, including those eight, some 34 Nepalis have been rescued and sent back to Nepal,” the embassy said, adding that most of the Nepalis in the detention centre were brought to Libya by the human traffickers, who intended to send them to Italy from Libya.
The Nepali peacekeeping mission in Libya is, meanwhile, cooperating and coordinating on the matters related to Nepali migrants, according to the embassy press note.

Only 13 per cent pass EPS-TOPIK

The Employment Permit System (EPS) under the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) published the result of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) today. Out of the total 92,376 candidates, who filled up the form, only 13 per cent passed the exam, EPS section of the department informed. “The total number of passed candidates is 12,009 for this year.”
Out of the successful candidates, who appeared in the exam, 23.94 per cent passed the test for agriculture sector and 76.05 per cent for manufacturing sector,” it informed, adding that number wise, some 9,133 candidates passed for manufacturing sector, whereas 2,876 passed for agriculture sector. The first level of language test for this year was held on June 8 and June 10,
“The candidates will be further shortlisted and the selected ones will get a job by January 2020,” according to the department that further informed that there will be skill based examination which is going to be scheduled by mid-September. “The candidates will be allowed to fill up Employment Arrangement Form after that, which will be followed by medical test and police report of the shortlisted candidates.”
The selected ones will, finally, reach South Korea by January 2020.
Some 8,996 candidates had passed the test last year. Since the result is valid for two years, the exact data of candidates of a particular year who went to Korea could not be counted. However, some 3,300 candidates from 2018 and 2017 batches reached Korea in 2019. But till now some 62,000 candidates have already reached South Korea – the most lucrative destination for Nepali migrant workers – through EPS that is a government-to-government system which ensures safe migration for workers and also strengthens basic rights of foreign workers and restricts discrimination against them.
The EPS Korea Section was established under the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Department of Foreign Employment with a purpose of easing the process to send Nepali workers to Korea after Nepal entered into EPS in 2007.

Remittance inflow records growth

Nepal has received Rs 653.19 billion remittances sent by Nepali migrant workers from various countries across the world in the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2018-19.
Despite the the number of Nepalis leaving home for foreign employment is on the decline, the remittance receipt is 20.9 per cent more than the remittance Nepal received in the same period in the last fiscal year, according to the central bank, which has claimed that the receipt of remittance has significantly improved from mid July 2018 to mid April 2019. “The overall remittance growth rate was 5.6 per cent in the last fiscal year.”
However, the receipt of remittance in the US dollars that has also increased by 9.5 per cent in the current fiscal year is almost the same in the last fiscal year. 

NMB Bank signs MoU to support returnee migrant

NMB Bank has signed a tripartite agreement with National Youth Council and Returnee Migrant Nepal with the objective to promote youth entrepreneurship and to provide subsidised loan to returnee migrants in predominant sectors including agriculture, tourism, forestry, medicinal herbs, minerals, hydro and science and technology.
The three parties shall work to support in implementation of the Finance Ministry – Government of Nepal’s initiative to provide interest subsidy loan to promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth in the productive sector thereby opening avenues to generate employment, self-employment opportunities amongst the youth.
The terms of the MoU dictate that, in accordance with the Integrated Working Procedure for Subsidised Credit 2018, subsidised loan upto maximum of Rs 10 lakhs shall be availed to eligible returnee migrants in coordination of Nepal Youth Council upon recommendation of Returnee Migrant Nepal.
The bank shall also avail loans in sectors apart from the ones listed under the Subsidised Loan scheme. Additionally, the NMB Bank shall also establish an Advisory Service Desk to provide advisory services to prospective customers, support in enhancing technical skills, introduce savings and loan products specifically designed for returnee migrants.
All three signatory institutions believe that this initiative will encourage migrant workers abroad to return home and utilize the skills acquired to generate employment opportunities and support in building a prosperous Nepal.