The Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security has stated that it has achieved significant success in the last three months in terms of internal employment creation, management of foreign employment, and labor administration reform.
Minister for Labor Krishna Kumar Shrestha said that the basis of policy, legal and structural reforms has been prepared to solve the problems of the labor sector, manage foreign employment and create opportunities for internal employees.
Minister Shrestha said that he hopes to get rid of the problem of foreign employment from the work he has done in a period of 100 days. Shrestha was appointed as the Labor Minister on September 8 last year.
According to Minister Shrestha, the issue of removing the barriers in the field of foreign employment, developing attractive and safe destination countries in terms of work, remuneration, and service facilities, and initiating labor agreements with those countries has come to a conclusion.
He said that the new initiatives in the field of labor have brought a 'wave' in the field of labor, employment, and social security and have given new hope to the common man. Minister Shrestha expressed his gratitude to all those who have directly and indirectly helped in improving the labor sector, good governance, and roadmap for the future. 100 days of work made public by the Ministry of Labor:
(A) Facilitation of foreign employment
1) By making maximum use of information technology, labor approval has been made paperless and in order to provide services easily, re-approval of labor has been started only through the online system. Arrangements have been made to carry out all the work related to foreign employment through foreign employment management information system as there is duplication in service flow while working both online and manual.
2) Arrangements have been made to provide services to the workers and laborers going for foreign employment in a simple and easy way without any hassle. Arrangements have been made to address the grievances immediately. The four-stage arrangement for the renewal of the labor permit has been completed in two stages. A help desk has been established to solve the problems of the service recipients and to disseminate information.
3) Simplification of the service and arrangement of necessary assistance and facilitation to the service recipients through the office and staff so that the service recipients do not have to take the help of intermediaries or other parties in every stage and process of service delivery related to foreign employment. Intermediaries are prohibited. In order to simplify the service flow, homework has been done to amend the existing procedures and guidelines.
4) Preparations have been made to form a separate police unit to look into the problem of foreign employment.
5) A 'Rapid Response Team' has been formed for immediate redressal of grievances related to foreign employment, recommendation of relief, rescue and compensation and inter-agency coordination.
6) The long-delayed sending of workers to South Korea and Israel has begun. The EPS renewal process has moved forward.
7) Homework has been started to send Nepali nurses for employment by concluding a labor agreement with the UK.
8) Homework is being done to sign and renew new labor agreements with various employer countries. Discussions have been initiated with Maldives, France, Seychelles, and other countries as new destination countries.
9) The destination country should provide financial and technical assistance to ensure the workplace safety of migrant workers, to improve the social and economic life of the workers who returned home after losing their jobs due to the epidemic by participating in the 6th Labor Ministerial 'Abu Dhabi Dialogue' in the second week of November in UAE. It is proposed to increase the minimum wage and provide free board and lodging, capacity building programs for the workers, and free PCR test at the point of arrival and departure, free quarantine and isolation center, and free treatment.
10. The fourth meeting of the Nepal-Qatar Joint Committee was held in Kathmandu on November 30. In this context, Nepal and Qatar have agreed to review the labor agreement. The Qatari side has agreed to move ahead as per Nepal's proposal for the socio-economic reintegration of Nepalis returning from working in Qatar, a major destination for foreign employment in Nepal.
11) Arrangements have been made for Nepalis going for foreign employment to be vaccinated against covid easily (Johnson & Johnson).
12. The process has been expedited to operate the project related to safe foreign immigration for two more years from the next Fiscal Year.
13. Consultations have been held with ambassadors of different countries and representatives of international organizations in Nepal to make the labor, employment, and social security sectors systematic. In order to ensure the professional security of Nepali workers, it has been requested to implement the provisions of the contract agreement effectively.
14) As it is often costly, cumbersome, and impossible to re-certify the demand received before the Coronavirus epidemic, a period of 6 months has been given for the implementation of the demand letter received from the employer country to send Nepali workers for foreign employment before 2076 BS.
15. A period of one month has been given by forming an expert group for revising the foreign employment policy. A study has been carried out at the working group level for proper addressing and management of the existing problems and challenges of foreign employment.
16. During this period, an agreement has been signed with the constituent campus of the Council of Vocational Skills and Training (CTEVT) to conduct skill-based training for 3,820 people. For the pre-departure orientation training to be provided for the workers going for foreign employment, 50 trainers have been trained in Mahottari.
(B) Internal employment promotion
17. The Prime Minister's Employment Program has been reviewed and interacted at the state level. In order to make the Prime Minister's Employment Program effective, the working procedure has been amended by increasing the wage rate, arranging accident insurance as well as adding the health and education sector.
18. A task force has been formed to study the policy, legal, structural arrangements, and international practice to manage and regulate the sending of Nepali women for foreign employment as domestic workers.
19. Discussions have been held with the local stakeholders at the provincial level to identify the employment potential areas at the local level and to promote internal employment.
20. The budget has been allocated by preparing a communication strategy and action plan for the implementation of the Prime Minister's Employment Program at the local level.
21. Courses have been developed in six skill areas to provide training in the workplace to the locally listed unemployed. Training programs will be conducted in the near future.
22) After entering the fourth year of implementation of the Prime Minister's Employment Program, for the first time since I became a Minister, I have been directed to the Local Employment Coordinator. For the first time, an annual review has been conducted.
(C) Facilitation of service delivery
23. The service recipients have been assisted and facilitated by arranging citizen helpline in every office.
24. Arrangements have been made to update the website in the department and office and to disseminate the information and information of the service through website, social network or citizen's charter. Arrangement has been made to publish the report of the services provided daily including the labor permit issued on the website and notice board of the office on a regular basis.
25. During this period, an agreement has been signed with the constituent campus of CTEVT to conduct skill based training for three thousand 820 people. For the pre-departure orientation training to be provided for the workers going for foreign employment, training of trainers has been given in Bardibas, Mahatari.
26. During the same period, 37 stranded people have been rescued in different countries and the bodies of 57 stranded workers have been retrieved from the destination country. Financial assistance has been provided to the families of 363 deceased workers and financial assistance has been provided to 42 persons who became seriously ill during foreign employment.
(D) Organization management and expansion
27. In order to maintain good governance in foreign employment administration, the report has been received by forming foreign employment management problem-solving committee, and also the report has been received by forming a suggestion committee on a legal basis and overall reform for the establishment and operation of skill development academy. The program has moved forward by linking skill training with entrepreneurship.
28. In order to send workers to good destination countries by teaching skills, a study has been started for setting up skill development training academy in the same province. Preparations are underway to conduct all kinds of skill training from various government bodies together.
29. Plans for reunification, social and economic empowerment of workers returning from foreign employment have been put forward. The immigrant reintegration program is being implemented with the grant assistance of the Government of Switzerland. Manual of Reunification Operation and Management of Nepali Citizens Returning to Foreign Employment, 2078 has been prepared.
30. A report has been received by forming a working group to revise the working procedure and criteria related to selection and appointment of labor associates and make it up-to-date.
31. An organization and management survey committee has been formed for the establishment of labor desks at Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport to be operated in the near future.
32. For occupational safety in the workplace, all labor offices have been instructed to work in such a way as to guarantee maximum safety of the workers.
(E) Social Security
33. Preparations have been made to widen the scope of the Social Security Fund to include self-employed persons, workers in foreign employment, workers of unorganized sector, and contract and salaried workers.
34. Various social security programs such as social protection, assistance, contribution-based social security, skill development, employment promotion are being prepared to be implemented in an integrated manner.
35. A plan has been put forward to take the branches of the Social Security Fund to all the seven state levels. In this regard, preparations have been made at the working group level for amending and modifying laws, acts, and rules.
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