Govt to provide compensation to 11 Nepali returnees from Kuwait

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Oct 4: The government has decided to provide compensation to 11 Nepali job seekers, who were deported to Nepal by Kuwaiti immigration officials in suspicion of being Bangladeshi citizen.

A meeting of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) on Monday decided to form a committee comprising officials of FEPB and Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) to ascertain the amount of compensation to the returnees.

“Keeping in view the loss they suffered due to their unexpected return from Kuwait, we have decided to provide them compensation by calculating the amount they spent while processing for Kuwaiti jobs, two way airfares and cost to return home,” a member of the board told Republica on Wednesday. Three Nepali manpower agencies including Bhandari Overseas had arranged jobs in the construction sector in Kuwait around three months ago. They were immediately returned to Nepal after immigration officials in Kuwait airport suspected them of being Bangladeshi job seekers. Similarly, the meeting has also decided to significantly increase the remuneration of the executive director of FEPB to Rs 80,000 per month from existing Rs 25,000. The meeting also decided to immediately initiate the process to appoint the executive director at FEPB which has remained vacant after the death of then executive director Sthaneshowre Devekota few months back. Meanwhile, FEPB is preparing to organize an international conference of business people of six major labor destinations of Nepali workers in the Gulf countries by December this year. The FEPB member said representatives from chambers of commerce and industry of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Kuwait will be invited at the proposed conference to seek their support for greater employment opportunities to Nepali youths in those destinations. “We will also ask for their assistance to enhance the skills of Nepali job seekers through vocational trainings. We will also request them to increase remuneration of Nepali workers in those destinations,” said the member. Meanwhile, a delegation from Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Tuesday to appraise the existing problems seen in foreign employment sector. Bhattarai urged recruiting agencies to support the government to minimize anomalies in the sector.
Published on 2012-10-04 02:07:23

MoCS pushes for finalization of LoEs for operating five new transit routes

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Oct 2: The Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) has started consultations with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to finalize the drafts of letter of exchange (LoEs) which it plans to forward to the southern neighbor soon for the early utilization of the five new transit routes.

“The Ministry of Law and Justice (MoLJ) last week gave its clearance on the draft LoEs. Now we are awaiting consent of the MoF. Once okayed, we will send them to India through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA),” Lal Mani Joshi, secretary at the MoCS told Republica.
If every thing went well, the MoCS officials said the government will send those drafts to India within a week.

“We will move on to sign those LoEs once the cabinet of both the countries endorse the contents enshrined on them,” said Joshi. Though India and Nepal exchanged initial drafts of LoEs last year, the two sides have acted slowly in getting the deals signed, which is crucial for operationalization of the new transit routes. India in February 2011 had given its nod to open land routes between Vishakapatnam sea port and four major customs, rail route between Birgunj dry port and Vishakapatnam and also Rohanpur (Bangladesh)-Singhabad (India)-Jogbani (India) and Phulbari-Banglabanda in order to facilitate Nepal´s foreign trade. However, sources at the MoFA said the whole process of finalizing the LoEs moved slowly because Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha is not positive about signing the pact fearing that the provision of additional lock envisioned in them could invite criticisms from his opponents. MoCS officials, on the other hand, said the proposed extra system was already supported by experts and business community. “There is no need to fear the additional lock on container along the transit routes as even the traders and experts are positive toward it, stating that it will lessen the hassles to ship the goods along those routes,” said a source at the MoCS. India has already introduced additional lock system on Kolkata-Nepal route from August 2011. Sarad Bikram Rana, executive director of Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee, said the government shouldn´t delay for signing the LoEs with India as the agreed trade routes were crucial for boosting Nepal´s trade with India, Bangladesh and overseas countries. “We will be relieved from the monopoly of Kolkata port if we operationalize Vishakapatnam port and operate through new routes. Traders will get more choice along with better facilities and transparent process of cargo handling on those routes,” said Rana. India had long been putting pressure on Nepali officials to agree on the additional lock system before the renewal of the transit treaty, which expires on 5 January 2013, citing security concerns and cases of transshipment of goods destined to Nepal in India. China - Nepal´s second largest trade partner - has also been practicing additional lock system on cargos entering the country through Tatopani customs.
Published on 2012-10-03 05:40:20

China proposes to help Nepal in farm research, development

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: In a bid to speed up farm commercialization in the country, China has proposed to support Nepal in applying modern technology in livestock farming, fisheries and hill agriculture development, among others.
The Chinese proposal comes ahead of the agriculture secretary level meeting between the countries scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on Monday. Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) Dr Ganesh Raj Joshi and Niu Dun, Chinese Vice-minister for Agriculture, are leading their respective countries in the bi-lateral talks.

A source at the MoAD told Republica that Chinese officials have already proposed to Nepal in promoting animal husbandry to boost production of animal products such as milk, meat and wool in Nepal. Nepal has been spending millions of rupees a year to import those products.

Similarly, the Chinese side is also interested in supporting Nepal to expanding fish farming, which is still not widely commercialized despite having huge potentiality.

“The northern neighbor is also eager to support us to promote horticulture, cultivation of cereal crops and other farm activities in hilly areas. Besides, Chinese officials are also ready to support us in other potential areas of agriculture,” the source said. The source said Nepal will request Chinese officials to help ease quarantine process at customs points while exporting Nepali agro-products. “As visiting Chinese officials are not dealing with quarantine issues, we will informally request them for their support in simplifying quarantine process,” the source said. Nepali traders are frequently facing problems in supplying meat products due to strict rule imposed at customs points by the Chinese side. During the day-long meeting, Nepali officials will also seek Chinese cooperation for strengthening Nepal´s capacity in food quality testing, production of livestock vaccines and increasing mechanization in farming. Human resource development in agriculture sector is also among the agenda to be discussed during the meeting. The Nepali side will also seek Chinese investment in a 100MW hydropower project to run the proposed chemical fertilizers factory in Nepal. Though MoAD and Ministry of Entergy have already signed an agreement to execute a 100MW project to power the proposed chemical fertilizer plant in Nepal, it is not clear from where investment for the project will come. “We are also floating options to Chinese official to invest in small hydropower projects that can be utilized to run small scale fertilizers here,” the source added. Given the lengthy process to procure chemical fertilizers from overseas market, Nepal will also seek Chinese firms to supply chemical fertilizers to Nepal for immediate purpose. During the meeting, the Nepali side will also seek Chinese support to expand hybrid seeds production technology by helping Nepal build necessary infrastructure. The Chinese delegation is scheduled to visit Nepal Agriculture Research Council in Khumaltar to discuss about possible technical assistance in farm research.
Published on 2012-10-01 05:37:15

Top team suggests steps to aid Nepalis in Saudi

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Sept 29: A high-level Nepali delegation that completed a week-long visit to Saudi Arabia recently is set to recommend a raft of measures to the government, including immediately opening two consulate offices, signing a labor pact and appointing lawyers to support legal battles for Nepali workers in the desert kingdom.

A team of senior officials led by Som Lal Subedi, secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE), visited different parts of Saudi Arabia, home to over 500,000 Nepali workers according to government data. The team that met senior Saudi officials, has indentified excessive levies being collected by Nepali recruiting companies, unnecessary layers of brokers in both countries, huge number of run-away workers, double contracts for the same jobs, the bad track record of employer companies and problems for the embassy in fighting legal battles due to lack of lawyers as the major problems of Saudi employment. “In view of the rising number of legal cases involving Nepali workers, we are recommending two consulate offices, in Dammam and Jeddah, and appointing of local staff so that our embassy can respond promptly to any untoward event involving Nepali workers,” a senior official in the team told Republica on Saturday. The recommendations are soon to be submitted to Chief Secretary Lilamani Poudel through MoLE. The official also said the team is suggesting to the government to sign a labor pact to secure the interests of Nepalis working in the desert kingdom, where the incidence of abuse by employers is very high. “Saudi officials are showing interest in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labor. A labor pact can help minimize cases of abuse and secure the rights of Nepalis employed in this biggest labor destination,” the official added. Given the complicated legal process of dealing with different problems, including repatriating bodies in case of death, settling compensation from employers and legal battles to secure rights, the team is also recommending appointing legal advisors for the embassy, which has so far been relying on local interpreters. The recommendation also stresses effective enforcement of the government-set fee to be levied from job aspirants by manpower agencies, enhancing the skills of job seekers through training and effective orientation prior to departure for Saudi Arabia, and improving the behavior of job aspirants. “We are also concerned about the deteriorating reputation of Nepali manpower agencies, which has diverted the demand for workers to other source countries. Nepali agencies have to show their sincerity by cutting the levy amount,” said the official. The team has found that manpower agencies are levying up to Rs 100,000 each even from job seekers whose recruiting cost is borne entirely by employers. The government has permitted manpower agencies to collect Rs 70,000 per job seeker for Saudi jobs in cases where employers are not bearing the recruiting cost. “Layers of agents between employers and job seekers have driven up the cost of getting jobs. So we need to establish a mechanism to reduce the number of agents in the recruiting process,” the official said. The team has also indentified an increase in the number of cases of workers leaving their previous jobs, workers coming via India without government permission, and multiple labor contracts for the same job. Such workers end up with illegal status. According to officials, around 100,000 Nepalis are working illegally in Saudi Arabia. They are employed mainly as construction, manufacturing and agricultural workers and housemaids.
Published on 2012-09-30 02:07:45

Malaysia firm may repatriate striking Nepali workers

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Sept 25: A Malaysian employer company has hinted that it could send striking Nepali workers back home after they said they do not want to work at the company anymore.

Altogether 600 Nepali workers at Malaysian firm Maxter Glove Manuracturing Company near Kuala Lumpur are on strike for the last five days unhappy with the accommodation and food quality provided by the company. The protesting workers said the food and accommodation did not conform to their job contracts.

After more than six hours of negotiations, which was mediated by the Nepali embassy in Kuala Lumpur, between the management and the employers on Sunday, the workers said they would prefer to fly back home instead of working in the company. "The company did express its readiness to respect the job contract during the talks. But majority of workers said they are not willing to work for the company anymore and expressed their desire return home," Amal Kiran Dhakal, labor attaché at Nepali embassy in Kuala Lumpur told Republica over the phone on Monday. Dhakal said the company management has also hinted that it would arrange repatriation for the workers if they continued their strikes. During the talks, the company representatives had urged the workers to return to work expressing commitment to make food and accomodation arrangement as per the job contracts. "Agitating workers were supposed to resume work from today (Monday) morning. However, they did not turn up," said Dhakal. "Now it becomes the employer firm´s responsibility to take initiative to send them back to Nepal. In addition to Nepalis, around 500 Bangladeshi workers too are employed in the company, which is a leading producer and exporter of surgical gloves. After assurance from the employer that the food and accomodation arrangements would be improved, the embassy officials had requested the workers to return to work. "The company has been paying 1000 - 2000 Ringgit per month to the workers, which is good money. If the company sincerely implemented the labor contract, they should return to work," added Dhakal, who mediated the talks. The workers had reached Malaysia to join the company on different dates between last three months and six years through Lucky Human Resource Solution in Lalitpur, a Nepali manpower agency. Some 600 Nepali workers are on strike for last five days charging that the employer company - Maxter Glove Manufacturing Company based in Perak of Kelang Neru near Kuala Lumpur - exploited them in foods and accommodation.
Published on 2012-09-25 04:00:54

600 Nepalis strike in Malaysia

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

Demand better food, accommodation
KATHMANDU, Sept 23: About 600 Nepali workers have staged a protest against a Malaysian employer firm demanding quality food and better accommodation. The action has brought the company´s operations to a standstill for the last three days.

The agitating workers at Maxter Glove Manufacturing Company based in Perak of Kelang Neru near Kuala Lumpur, were recruited through a Nepali manpower agency named Lucky Human Resource Solution. “We got information that some 100 workers that recently joined the company are leading the protest, demanding better food being provided by the company´s canteen. The strike has nothing to do with salary and benefits offered by the company,” Rishi Sharma, proprietor of Lucky Human Resource Solution in Lalitpur told Republica on Saturday. However, agitating workers said around 600 workers are participating at the protest. Sharma said agitating workers are getting up to around Ringgit 1,000 per month including 546 as basic salaries as per the job contract. Sharma also said there has been dispute between the workers supporting the agitation and those opposing it. “We are in regular contact with the management of the employer company. We will exert pressure on the company if the workers´ demands are genuine,” Sharma added. Sharma said around 600 Nepalis and 500 Bangladeshis are working in the company that has been producing surgical gloves for overseas export. Nepali workers have also barred Bangladeshis from going to work. Amal Kiran Dhakal, Nepali labor attaché to Malaysia told Republica over the phone that the workers resorted to the protests alleging that the employer company provided substandard food, deducting the amount from their salary. “According to a protesting worker the employer company provided "low quality food" and had deducting certain amount from their salary for that. They have been protesting against the poor living condition inside the hostel. We are heading toward the company tomorrow (Sunday) to take stock of the situation in a bid to resolve the problem,” Dhakal said. Dhakal said he urged the workers not to be aggressive and keep in mind the laws of Malaysia that restrict labor protest without prior information to the employers. Dhakal also said the Malaysian laws enshrine authority to local employers to take action against the agitating works who become absent for more than two consecutive days without prior notification to the employers. Protests of Nepali workers in Malaysia, the most popular destination among Nepali job-seekers, have been reported frequently. Two years ago, Nepali workers had protested against the JCY SDB BHD- a multinational company, blaming the firm of negligence in providing timely treatment for a worker who later died in a local hospital. The three day long protest had led to the crackdown on the agitating workers by Malaysian security personnel.

Govt to open lease, contract farming

PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, Sept 20: The government has prepared a draft of the new Agriculture Enterprises Promotion Act that among other, envisages to pave the way for contract or lease farming and promises incentives to insurance companies to sell farm insurance policies.

The draft prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) in association with the Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) will soon be circulated among local stakeholders in the different development regions for feedback, said a senior government official. Keeping in view the large swaths of land being left fallow by landlords, the government came up with the legal provisions to make sure that proper use of cultivable land through contract and leasing system is introduced in the country. “Though we have large tracks of land abandoned without farming across the country by landlords, we are still dependent on imports to fulfill the domestic demands for food grains, fruits and vegetables. The proposed act will pave the way for massive use of fallow land for commercial farming by making available the unused land on lease or contracts to interested farmers,” Pradip Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of AIC, who is also a member of the drafting committee, told Republica on Wednesday. The act allows the government and private land owners to give their lands on lease or contract for farming. Existing laws don´t cover the contract or lease farming which has made land owners reluctant to allow others to cultivate their land fearing tenancy by tillers. The proposed act also will make clear provision of insurance on farm products such as crops and animals with incentives to insurance companies which sell insurance policies for all kinds of farming system including contract or lease farming. “This proposed act envisions the certain privileges to insurance companies that will sell their insurance policies for the insurance for cattle and crops. We have proposed that companies that paid compensation against loss of farm properties under such insurance scheme, can deduct the amount from their income before tax,” said Maharjan. At a time when there is nominal market access for farm products, the the act has also attempted to encourage opening up agriculture markets in the land provided in lease and contract. “We have also suggested in the draft that the government encourage banks to issue loan to the entrepreneurs for agro-based market,” he added. He said the proposed act will transform absent landlordism, a trend in which real land lords don´t cultivate by staying away from their own land, into commercialization of farming with the involvement of farmers other than landowners. “As per our rough calculation around 20 percent of land in the terai of mid-Western and Far-Western region has been left fallow by land owners. The proposed act will prove to be instrumental for proper utilization of such land for farm commercialization which will ultimately resolves the problems of unemployment and food insecurity,” he added.
Published on 2012-09-20 07:08:23