The Ministry of Labour and Employment has decided to set up separate sections this week to provide services to Nepalis aspiring to work in Qatar, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

 The three sections will independently impart services ranging from acquiring pre-work approval, final work approval, life insurance and legal help to depositing to the migrant workers ’ welfare fund.

 The government has been providing country-specific services only for South Korea through the EPS-Korea Section.

 Migrants going to other countries, meanwhile, will get a collective service from another separate section, while the head office will act as the policy maker and regulator.

 The government two months ago approved plans to open four additional offices in Kathmandu Valley in order to make foreign employment services ‘faster, better and transparent’.

 The Department of Foreign Employment said it will offer services from the same building until it finds a suitable location to set up new sections. DoFE Director General Rabindra Mohan Bhattarai said his office is making preparations to internally adjust the section for an interim period.

 “The sections will be operational within a couple of days. We are arranging for equipment and manpower,” said Bhattarai.

 Sources said the ministry pushed the department to make separate sections operational immediately citing numerous complaints from service seekers of sluggish service delivery and other anomalies. A taskforce led by Joint-secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar also suggested making services country-specific. The taskforce was formed to discourage corruption at the department and ensure smooth service delivery.

 The government had been unable to open additional sections for the Gulf and Malaysia despite repeated commitments since 2008.

 The dearth of human and technical resources, let alone spacious building, has forced hundreds of workers to either wait long or pay bribes to get services from the department.

 The DoFE has only 97 staffers to cater to the needs of some 2,000 individuals each day and the number is expected to increase with the new sections.

 Some 1.5 million of an estimated 2.5 million migrant workers (excluding India) work in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

 The ministry is planning to conduct a field study to establish offices outside the Capital. Buddhi Bahadur Khadka, the head of the foreign employment division at the ministry, said his office will decentralise its services.

 “We are aware of the hardships faced by the people outside the Valley. Our ultimate aim is to extend our services to various regions in order to make them accessible, cheaper and faster,” said Khadka.

 Published on: 2 February 2014 | The Kathmandu Post