Sunday, November 25, 2012

Jobseekers in trouble as TUTH fails to provide medical reports on time

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Nov 26: Around 200 Nepali jobseekers could not re-apply for Korean jobs under the Employment Permit System (EPS) as per the schedule after Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), one of the five designated hospitals, failed to provide medical reports for them on Sunday.

A high level source at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) said only 107 job-seekers registered their applications along with their fresh medical reports which were prepared by other designated hospitals.

“We had set a target to re-register the applications from around 350 job aspirants today (Sunday). Unfortunately, TUTH failed to provide medical reports to the candidates leaving them in lurch, although other designated hospitals are making reports in time,” the source told Republica.

Monday, November 19, 2012

South Korea asks 5,700 Nepalis to reapply for EPS jobs

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Nov 19: The South Korean government has sent names of around 5,700 candidates out of around 9,000 candidates who failed to get jobs under Korea´s Employment Permit System (EPS) to reapply at EPS-Nepal office to retain their candidature in job roster of Human Resource Department (HRD) of Korea.

Responding to the move by Korea, the government has initiated the process to re-register applications of those who couldn´t get opportunity for Korean jobs even after getting registered in roster of HRD in 2011.

EPS-Nepal Office has publicly called 3,693 job hopefuls as randomly selected by the HRD Korea to re-register their applications to refresh their bid for the jobs in the Asia´s fourth largest economy. Of those notified for the re-registration, around 700 are female job seekers.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Workers failing to sign labor contract may have to re-register in job roster

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Nov 10: Thousands of Nepalis who were registered in roster for Korean jobs under Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2011 but failed to get the job contract so far would need to re-qualify on health test and register themselves again if they want to keep their hopes of getting the South Korean job still alive.
Such a situation surfaced mainly as many of their medical report, which is valid for a year, has either expired or others´ report too are expiring soon. And this will automatically lead to de-registration of their names from the roster.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Malaysian firms cut workforce following wage hike decision

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Nov 6: Nepal is receiving fewer job offers from Malaysia as companies there are reducing workforce in a bid to contain their operating cost after the Malaysian government hiked minimum wage for workers.

Issuing the Minimum Wage Order 2012 recently, the Malaysian government increased minimum wage for workers to 900 Ringgit (excluding overtime allowances) for Peninsular Malaysia.

Similarly, it has set minimum wage at 800 Ringgit for Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Lebuan effective from January 1, 2013. The new wage structure will come into effect  from January 1, 2013. Small firms employing five or less workers must implement it by July 1, 2013.
“Minimum wage payable to employees may not be reduced by more than 30 percent during the probation period,” states the order

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Old Story-2: Jobs lost, dreams shattered, workers arrive from Malaysia


PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Jan 25: Shree Prasad Nepal of Itahara, Morang flew to Malaysia six months ago with a dream of a better life for himself and his family. He had three years’ job contract with a Malaysian firm. But his dreams shattered as the Malaysian government recently announced it will stop hiring foreign workers owing to the global financial crisis. Shree Prasad, 35, lost his Malaysian job and was forced to return home empty handed Thursday. Now he is also burdened with a loan of Rs 80,000 that remains to be paid out of Rs 120,000 he had taken to fly to Malaysia.

Upon his return he is staying at Parbat Chautari Guest House in Gongabu, Kathmandu in the hope of getting compensation from his manpower agent – Akarshan International – for the loss he suffered.

“The company laid us off abruptly though we have a three-year work contract. We tried to file suit against the company at labor court for compensation but the Nepali mission and our manpower agent did not cooperate,” said Nepal. “We had no option but to return home instead of staying illegally.”

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Old stories-1:Confusing name leads Somalis and Iraqis to Nepal, not Naples

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, April 8: Ibrahim Shegow decided to flee Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, after some Hawiyes— the Hawiye are the largest clan in Somali—killed his father in front of him.

After witnessing the heinous act, the 27-year-old illiterate Shegow decided he would have to start a new life elsewhere, and so he sought the help of a Mogadishu-based human-trafficking agency, the Hayat Agency, to find greener pastures. The agents promised Shegow that they would deliver him to Naples, in Italy, where, he was promised, there would be a good job waiting for him. To Shegow’s bad luck, the broker representing the Hayat Agency deliberately transported the hapless emigrant to Nepal, through Dubai, in March 2006.

“I found that I had been cheated only after I had landed in Nepal, a place that I’ve found to be far different from what I’d imagined Italy’s Naples to be,” says the now thirty-year-old Shegow.

Paddy output to dip by 14 pc


------------EXCLUSIVE--------------------
PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Nov 1: Acute shortage of fertilizer and prolonged drought during plantation season is going to inflict a loss in production of 563,000 tons of net edible foods this year, says a fresh report of the government.

“Compared to last year, we anticipate the production of paddy and maize to fall by 14.2 percent and 10 percent respectively this year,” said Prabhakar Pathak, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD), disclosing the finding of preliminary projection report on food output for 2012/13.

The report, which is still to be made public, suggests that the total paddy output is expected to drop by 720,000 tons this year compared to 5.07 million tons -- all time high production -- recorded last year.

Likewise, maize production is anticipated to drop by around 164,000 tons due to insufficient rainfall during the farming season.

“This loss in production of paddy by 720,000 tons (or 432,000 tons of milled rice) and maize by 164,000 tons (131,000 tons in edible state) will eventually lead to a loss of 563,000 tons of net edible foods this year,” Pathak told Republica.
  • Impact of shortage of fertilizers, drought
  • Paddy production to drop by 14.2 percent, maize by 10 percent
  • Food demand to reach 5.3 million tons
  • Key producer districts reported less than 65 percent plantation
  • Production area decline 140,000 hectares
Officials attributed the drop to severe shortage of chemical fertilizers during plantation season and long spell of drought along with insufficient irrigation facility.

Paddy and maize are the key cereals of Nepal. But some 46 percent of total agriculture land is rain-fed. And productions were hit because the country recorded average rainfall of just 61 and 87 millimeter in June and July this year, whereas it was 110 and 96 millimeter respectively last year.

Owing to drought and fertilizer scarcity, the total paddy plantation areas itself shrank, said Pathak.

According to the report, farmers planted paddy in just about 1.38 million hectares, which is a decline by 140,000 hectares compared to a total area in which paddy was planted last year. “Plantation was done in just about 91 percent of the paddy land this year,” it reads.

The paddy plantation area declined mainly as Dhanusha and Siraha -- key paddy producing districts -- reported plantation in just 49 percent and 50 percent of paddy land. Similarly, plantations in Mahottari and Saptari were done in just 60 percent and 65 percent of paddy land respectively.

Last year, the four districts reported almost cent percent plantation. As a result, total production of major cereals -- paddy, maize, wheat, millet and buckwheat combined -- increased by 9.8 percent to 9.45 million tons, enabling the country to enjoy a food surplus of around 886,000 tons in 2011/12.
Contrary to drop in output, the report says demand for cereals could rise by 100,000 tons to 5.3 million tons this year.

“We will not face food scarcity if the winter crops remain normal. But in the context of climate change we can´t rule that out. Even if situation is normal in winter season, at least 27 districts will face food deficit this year,” Pathak added.


Published on 2012-11-01 04:25:12
Rice import jumps tenfold in food surplus year
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Oct 31: At a time when the country is enjoying record food surplus, imports of rice jumped by almost tenfold over the first two months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year.

The import data that the central bank released recently shows Nepal imported rice worth Rs 1.14 billon during the first two months of 2012/13, up from Rs 120 million in the same period last year.

India is the largest supplier of rice to Nepal.

The Ministry of Agriculture Development had, a few months ago, announced that the country has recorded food surplus of 880,000 tons in 2011/12. This was expected to lower food imports.

“The latest import data has surprised us,” Narayan Bidari, director general of Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM), told Republica.
Officials and traders attributed such disproportionate rise in imports to recent lifting of ban on export of non-basmati rice by India after a gap of more than three years.

“Rice import rose mainly because traders are presently feeling comfortable to import rice from official channel from India,” Satish Bohra, deputy general secretary of Association of Nepal Rice, oil and Pulse Industries, said.

During the 2008 food crisis in 2008, India had imposed ban on export of rice in a bid to ease the internal supply of foods.

“The present import surge shows lifting of ban by India prompted traders to switch to official trade," said an official.

Traders like Bohra attributed the rise in imports to increase in prices of rice itself. "The price of rice has increased by around 20 percent this year. It also jacked up the import figure (in monetary terms)," said Bohra.

Some of the traders and officials suspect that the rise in import could be due to recent decision of the government to open rice exports to China. "It is difficult to say for sure. But we cannot rule out its possibility," said the official.

Keeping in view food surplus and growing demand for rice in Tibet, the government in the last fiscal year had allowed traders to export 10,000 tons of rice to China through Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi customs points.

Following the decision, DoCSM in August granted permission to 65 firms to export rice to the northern neighbor on condition that they complete the export process within six months of issuance of export licenses.


Published on 2012-10-31 22:34:44