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| Kathmandu, Wednesday August 06, 2003 Shrawan 21, 2060. |
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Nepalis deprived to work
in US
Embassy grants visas to only six
despite demand for over 300
Post report
KATHMANDU, Aug 5 : Despite the demand for over
300 Nepali workers last year by some United States companies, the US Embassy in Kathmandu
provided visas to only six Nepali workers for the jobs under the same quota.
Texas-based Practical Employment Solution (PES)
had demanded Nepali workers last year on behalf of various multinational companies, most
of them hotels.
"Only a few Nepalis were allowed to enter
the USA for the jobs under the PES quota," said Lalit Bahadur Thapa, Joint Secretary
at the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MLTM). According to him, despite the
genuine demand made by PES, local workers were unable to acquire job visas.
Government sources said that it was the US
Embassy that hesitated to allow a large number of Nepalis to work in the US. "The
Embassy was not convinced that outgoing Nepali workers would comply by the contract,"
said the official.
The PES had authorised Around The World (ATW)
and Rose Overseas as their agents to supply Nepali manpower to USA.
A large number of well-qualified students and
even a number of government officials had applied for the jobs when it was announced last
year. USA that is considered as a land of opportunities is a lucrative working place for
people from around the globe.
Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Thapa, former
Director General at the Department of Labour and Employment Promotion (DLEP), said that
the previous government strongly wanted to send more employees under the PES quota.
But another official at the ministry said that
USA was not willing to grant visa to local workers in massive numbers as it doubted if the
Nepali workers would respect the contract and believed that they would shift to other jobs
by extending their stay illegally.
"Such tendency to shift into more lucrative
jobs is more since agents pocket as high as Rs 1 million from aspirant workers while
ensuring jobs in USA," the official said. "Workers try and recover their
investment."
Despite permitting Nepali workers to leave the
country for jobs in USA, the government is yet to list the world’s largest economy as
a labour destination for Nepal. The MLTM last year had allowed local workers for the jobs
at USA only when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a positive response following an
inquiry regarding the security situation of Nepali workers in USA.
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