Roshan Sedhai

In the coming summer season, aspiring migrant workers visiting the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) will have to bear harsh climatic conditions in the open alongside long and exhausting official procedures. Due to the negligence of the stakeholders, it is customary for more than 2,000 daily service seekers to stand for long hours in a queue under open skies, braving any kind of inclement weather.

What is even more ironic is that the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) collects levies from workers for the Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund in the same open space. Although established for the workers’ welfare, the Board belies its commitment in the very place where it collects funds.

This situation only exemplifies the greater mismanagement in offices that are accountable to millions of workers whose contribution to the country’s GDP is around 23 percent. The congested offices, inadequate human resources, lack of technical equipment and a proper information desk speak volumes about the oversight of authorities.  

Bal Bahadur Tamang, chairman of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), said that the deplorable state of services showcase the inability of authorities.

“It’s a shame that workers have to contribute to the welfare fund standing vulnerable to unpredictable weather conditions. The bank that has been accredited to deposit money can build a roof on its premises to provide better services,” said Tamang.

The Everest Bank, the sole bank entitled to collect funds, has been doing so from the premises of the DoFE.

Acting head of the FEPB Girija Sharma said they would do the needful if the DoFE requested them. “Since the cash counter is on department premises, we cannot do anything unless we are formally requested to make other arrangements,” said Sharma.  

DoFE Director General Purna Chandra Bhattarai said they had realised the ordeal of the aspiring migrant worker s. He said that inadequate space is causing problems to build a roof. “We are planning to shift the bank alongside the open ground of the department. Unlike earlier, workers won’t have to face any problems in the summer,” said Bhattarai.

In the absence of a proper programme oriented to the welfare of migrant worker s, stakeholders have time and again questioned the relevance of the FEPB and the funds it has been collecting under the welfare fund. Following the death of Sthaneshwor Devokta in a car accident on his way to Hetauda on June 4 last year, the FEPB has not introduced any new plans or programmes.

Out of a total of Rs 1.35 billion in funds, the Board has only spent Rs 150 million for the evacuation of workers, the repatriation of corpses and compensation for the families of some 2,000 deceased and injured. Board officials often blame the leadership vacuum as affecting new plans and policies.

Published on: 30 January 2013 | The Kathmandu Post