KATHMANDU: Government of Nepal had introduced the scheme of ‘free-visa-free-ticket’ since 2072 BS for Nepalese workforce heading to Malaysia and Gulf countries in foreign employment.

Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has currently implemented this rule (of ‘free-visa-free-ticket’) for outbound Nepalese workers going to Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman.

It means that no cost would be borne by the Nepalese workforce heading to these countries. If Nepalese workers press for their rights of ‘free-visa-free-ticket’, manpower agencies of Nepal do not entertain their applications and make them return saying that there are no vacancies of jobs abroad.

Khabarhub correspondent talked to scores of job aspirants lining up before more than 60 prime manpower agencies of Kathmandu and found the news of not entertaining the applications of Nepalese youth all correct. “A manpower agency agreed to accept my application and fix the time of interview only after I promised to pay them Rs 120,000,” says Suwash Tharu from Lahan adding further, “I was offered a job in a vegetable company by a manpower agency.”

When Dinesh Khatun from Palpa talked about the facility of ‘free-visa-free-ticket’ to Koshi International Pvt. Ltd., he was denied an interview. Koshi International agreed to accept Khatun’s application only when an offer to pay Rs 200,000 was made.

There is a clear instruction from the Department of Foreign Employment not to charge any money for visa and ticket from Nepalese workers heading abroad in foreign employment. Even then, manpower agencies are flouting rules to extort money from Nepalese youth aspiring to go abroad in foreign employment.

Complaints lodged by the victims of extortion are first processed before any action is taken against the alleged manpower agencies. There are also cases reported where an exorbitant amount of money is paid in advance to manpower agencies to get them involved in the processing of jobs.

Manpower agencies take possession of passports of job aspirants before they agree to process their application for foreign employment. While giving passports back to job applicant manpower agencies extort Rs 30,000 from them.

It is like a double whammy for Nepalese workforce not getting selected for a foreign job and paying money for getting own passport back. The government is sleeping over all these issues without addressing them.