The Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) has appointed Joint-secretary Binod KC as the new head of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE). KC’s appointment comes after the transfer of Purna Chandra Bhattarai to the Ministry of Tourism. “The ministry has decided to transfer him (KC) to the department (DoFE). Although his formal appointment is still in process, he will start holding office,” said Buddi Bahadur Khadka, MoLE spokesperson. KC said he will start working very soon. The Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) needs to endorse the decision of the MoLE before formally appointing a new director general at the DoFE. “It’s part of the bureaucratic process and will take some more time for final approval,” said Khadka, adding that the MoLE has completed the legal procedures on its part. KC was previously in charge of the Foreign Employment Division under the MoLE for one and a half years. The division looks after the policies and procedural aspects of the foreign employment sector. He also had a stint in the MoGA and the Ministry of Industry. His predecessor Bhattarai earned reputation for undertaking series of reformative work in the DoFE, long plagued by corruption and mismanagement. He was successful in reining in fraud manpower companies and corruption prevalent at the DoFE during his one and a half years of tenure. He made it mandatory to take prior approval from the embassy or chamber of commerce of respective countries for individual workers. Among other notable steps, Bhattrai took initiatives to increase basic wages, started online interconnectivity with Nepali missions, used improved passport stickers, and adopted computerised billing system and coordinated with the Central Investigation Bureau to stop human trafficking in disguise of foreign employment. “The foreign employment sector witnessed a smooth change during his (Bhattarai’s) tenure. Most of the reformative works would be completed after the implementation of the SOP, agency agreement, online software and strict monitoring of exorbitant fees taken by agencies,” said Bal Bahadur Tamang, chairman of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies. The DoFE is considered one of the most lucrative offices, which provides frontline service to over 2,000 people every day. It is said that around 90 percent of officials in the government service want to work there.

The foreign employment sector witnessed a smooth change during his (Bhattarai’s) tenure

Published: 5 April 2013 | The Kathmandu Post