KATHMANDU: Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari has emphasized the need for stronger policy measures to address the growing problem of foreign employment fraud.
Responding to questions raised during the discussion on his ministry’s allocations under the Appropriation Bill, 2082 in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Minister Bhandari said that additional responsibilities will be assigned to District Administration Offices to help curb fraudulent activities in foreign employment.
He noted that over 36,000 cases of foreign employment fraud have already been registered with the Department of Foreign Employment, and fraudsters continue to exploit legal loopholes.
“We have initiated the expansion of our institutional framework to address these issues,” said Minister Bhandari.
He added that efforts are underway to amend the Foreign Employment Act to allow district police offices to investigate fraud cases, file them in district courts, and resolve them on a fast-track basis to provide timely relief to victims.
Highlighting the ministry’s achievements and future plans, Minister Bhandari stated that around 11.6 percent of the country’s population is currently unemployed, making domestic employment generation both a pressing challenge and a key priority.
“The ministry is working to develop the country’s human resources and engage both skilled and semi-skilled manpower in Nepal’s labor market,” he said.
He also informed that a new labor migration policy has been drafted and is now in its final approval stage, and a technical study is underway for establishing a national labor market information system.
Addressing the concerns of Nepalis abroad, Bhandari said, “If calls to embassies go unanswered, we are making arrangements to redirect those calls to a call center in Nepal using IP-based phone technology.”
He expressed confidence that this system will help Nepalis abroad maintain direct contact with authorities in Nepal, especially in situations where their whereabouts are unknown.
Minister Bhandari also confirmed that diplomatic engagements will continue to protect the rights and welfare of Nepali migrant workers. He informed that semi-skilled and skilled workers will be sent to South Korea and Japan, and starting in July, workers will be sent to European countries through institutional channels.
Preparations are also underway to expand labor migration to countries with stronger human rights protections.
Comment