Kathmandu, May 8
The Inter-Ministerial
High Level Task Force has suggested the government to immediately create the
'digital profiles' and geolocation mapping data of Nepali workers residing in
conflict-affecting or high-risk areas.
"Analyse risk levels and remain prepared for the ‘safe relocation’
and, where necessary, repatriation of Nepalis from affected areas. Establish
24-hour ‘emergency hotlines' and dedicated help desks at relevant Nepali
embassies," the Task Force suggested in its report submitted to the
government.
The government had formed the Task Force
was formed, as per its 100-day agenda on governance reforms, on March 31 under
the coordination of Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. It had 10 members including
secretaries from the ministries of Foreing Affairs, Labour, Finance, Industry,
Energy and Tourism.
Its mandate was to study the impact of
international and regional crises, especially in the West Asian nations, on
Nepali migrant workers and economy and to prepare necessary policy and strategy
to address the existing and emerging challenges.
The 100-day agenda on governance reform of
the government required to form such task
Earlier, the government had also formed an
Emergency Rsponse Team on March 3, led by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai,
to respond to the immediate needs of the Nepali workers in crisis.
According to the MoFA, there are 1.72
million Nepali migrant workers in 13 countries in the region whose safety has
troubled the government here.
Nepalis in Iran, Israel, Egypt, Oman,
Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
Lebanon, Iraq and Cyprus were or likely to be affected by the Israel-Iran war
that has affected about half a dozen countries in West Asia. Cyprus is a
European country while Egypt is in northern Africa.
The largest number of Nepalis are in the
UAE with a presence of 478,144, followed by Saudi Arabia at 383,865, Qatar at
357,000, Kuwait at 175,000, and Iraq at 30,000. There are only six Nepali
citizens in Iran and 500 in Egypt.
Two months ago, the MoFA said that the
government was facing confusion in absence of established mechanism for rescue
and repatriation of Nepalis from West Asia.
Meanwhile, the tensions at the Strait of
Hormuz has pushed the price of petroleum products rapidly up which also caused
the increase in transportation.
Short- and long-term policy suggestions
The summary of the report is made public by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) at a press briefing on Friday. It
recommended the government to define short-term actions within 3–6 months,
medium-term actions within 6 months to 2 years, and long-term actions within
2–5 years for better management of foreign employment.
According to the Task Force, the government
should conduct skill mapping of the returnee migrants and launch
skill-employment matching programmes to absorb returning skilled manpower into
domestic industries. Skills acquired abroad should undergo immediate fast-track
testing and certification through the National Skill Testing Board, read the
report.
The report also suggested to operate
programmes such as ‘cash-for-work’ to address immediate livelihood crises, and
to provide entrepreneurship training and seed capital or machinery grants for
those wishing to become self-employed.
Ram Kaji Khadka, Joint Secretary and Head
of the Central Asia, West Asia and Africa Division at the MoFA, said that the
current crisis in the region had increased the security concerns, expenses of
Nepali workers as well as tourists while foreign investment and number of
tourists has gone down significantly affecting the local and national economy.
"This could result in Nepali migrant
workers psychological wellbeing as well as economic pressures back home. Many
families could fall into a debt trap if the crisis sustained and Nepali workers
are forced to return home," he said.
Creating reintegration fund at local
level
As the medium-term policy, the Task Force
maintained that the local level must mandatorily arrange a 'reintegration fund'
in their annual plans. The government should run programmes to provide
concessional loans without collateral to returnee workers to start business,
support seed money to establish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and
startups based on innovative ideas.
Similarly, providing high-level vocational
training to returnee workers according to the current demand sectors such as
tourism IT and construction, encouraging commercial farming, and establishing
mentorship and networks for aspiring entrepreneurs are also suggested.
Other policy proposals are mobilising
cooperatives to pool the small capital of returnee workers and operating
collective investment projects, arranging local branding, constructing returnee
market hub in local bodies, and launching digital skill bank to facilitate
direct contact between workers and employers.
Substituting petroleum products, a
priority
It is important to ensure at least three
months’ supply by fully utilising the strategic storage capacity for petroleum
products and raw materials. The Task Force suggested strengthening the ‘Price
Stabilisation Fund’ while also implementing a policy of blending ethanol into
petrol to reduce dependence on imported fuel, immediately. Promotion of
electric vehicles, and work from home policy could also be the options.
Promoting the use of
electric stoves, reducing reliance on the LPG, increasing domestic electricity
consumption, and introducing emergency concessional tariffs during cooking
hours are also recommended. Other suggestions include coordinating with
airlines to keep airfares affordable, providing emergency tax relief on
aviation turbine fuel (ATF), and providing 100 per cent waiver on landing and
parking fees for new airlines operating the international airports in
Bhairahawa and Pokhara.
"Strongly communicate through international media that Nepal is safe
and open. Introduce special concessions and destination packages for domestic
tourists. Further simplify the online visa system," it said.
In the medium term, the Task Force
recommended to diversify the energy sources, reduce subsidies on LPG, enhance
cross-border trade of electricity, provide concessional loans to convert coal
or petroleum based industrial furnace and boilers to electric systems and
establish battery swapping stations and large charging hubs.
Envoys to be appointed via regular route
Meanwhile, Spokesperson of MoFA, Lok
Bahadur Poudel Chhetri said that the appointing ambassadors through competitive
approach is not the policy of the government. "The information being
circulating on social media is not true," he said while adding that the
MoFA is going to follow the established and regular process to appoint the
envoys.
He reiterated that the government is trying
to resolve the 'Lipulek Issue' through dialogue with India and China on the
basis of historical evidences.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 May 2026.
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