'Govt implementing measures for rescue, relief and repatriation of Nepalis abroad'

Kathmandu, Aug. 18

Foreign Affairs Minister Shisir Khanal has said that the government is implementing effective initiatives for the rescue, relief and repatriation of Nepalis stranded abroad.

The government has allocated Rs. 150 million in the current Fiscal Year 2026/27 for the rescue, relief and repatriation of Nepali citizens stranded abroad. The 'Procedure for Administering the Budget Allocated for the Rescue, Relief and Repatriation of Nepali Citizens Stranded Abroad, 2083' prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) for administering the budget is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

Responding to the questions raised in Parliament by lawmaker Ashika Tamang regarding the delayed repatriation of the body of Santosh Rai, a permanent resident of Jugedi in Dhunibesi Municipality of Dhading district, who died while undergoing treatment in Cambodia, on Tuesday, he updated the House about the procedure.

According to FM Khanal, feeling the need for a separate source of funding for rescuing Nepali citizens stranded abroad, the MoF was requested to make budgetary arrangements. The procedure was sent to the MoF on Friday.

“Once it is approved by the MoF, the Foreign Ministry will implement it. The delay was not because we were reluctant or unwilling to prepare the procedure. As this is a serious matter, we had to give careful consideration to where and under what circumstances the funds should be used,” he said.

According to him, the procedure proposes a maximum expenditure of Rs. 1.2 million per person to repatriate a stranded citizen of dead body.

FM Khanal said the procedure also contains limited provisions for cases in which Nepali citizens fall ill and require medical treatment. Rescue and repatriation efforts would proceed in accordance with the procedure once it receives approval from the MoF.

Clarifying the issue raised by lawmaker Tamang in line with the Speaker’s ruling, Minister Khanal said the government had made the necessary financial arrangements for the rescue of Nepali citizens abroad and the repatriation of their bodies.

Santosh Rai had died while undergoing treatment at Calmette Hospital in Cambodia on 14 May 2026. His body is currently being kept at a hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Nepali Embassy in Bangkok had informed the government that approximately US$1,000 would be required to bring the body back to Nepal, including outstanding medical and mortuary charges and airfare.

Likewise, Minister Khanal said the repatriation of bodies and rescue of Nepali citizens who travel abroad legally, particularly those who obtain labour approval, is comparatively straightforward because they are insured through the Department of Foreign Employment. However, he said the rescue of Nepali citizens who travel abroad through irregular channels presents legal and financial complications.

He said the government must also consider whether using public funds to rescue citizens who have travelled abroad after becoming involved in activities prohibited by the government or contrary to the law could encourage illegal activities.

“The government has two major responsibilities — one is to protect its citizens, and the other is to ensure that money legally paid by taxpayers is used appropriately,” Minister Khanal said. “There are circumstances in which people need to be rescued on humanitarian grounds, but we must also seriously consider whether legally acquired public funds should be used in a way that could encourage unlawful activities.”

According to FM Khanal, the bodies of around 160 Nepali citizens have been repatriated to Nepal in the past four months alone. He also said around 860 Nepali citizens who had travelled to Cambodia on visit visas and were working in scam centres had been rescued and brought back to Nepal over a period of several months.

 

Plan to construct buildings for missions abroad

FM Khanal informed the House that the government plans to reduce expenditure on rent by constructing embassy and residential buildings on land already owned by Nepal’s diplomatic missions abroad. He said the government plans to gradually construct buildings for missions that already have their own land.

Minister Khanal made the remarks while responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Monday about the failure to construct buildings for Nepali missions despite land having been purchased years ago, resulting in substantial expenditure on rent.

He also said that Nepali missions abroad should have buildings that reflect Nepal’s own identity and representation.

According to Minister Khanal, Rs. 1.39 billion was spent on rent for Nepali missions abroad last year. This represented around 17 per cent of the total budget allocated to the MoFA.

He said land had been purchased for Nepali missions and ambassador's residences in places including Islamabad, Riyadh, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Muscat, Canberra and Beijing, but the necessary buildings had not yet been constructed. He said the main reason for delays behind construction was the lack of clear legal provisions governing the construction of public buildings abroad.

The Minister said amendments to the Public Procurement Act 2063 had established provisions allowing Nepali embassies and missions abroad, as well as other public bodies with offices overseas, to prepare the necessary procedures, obtain approval from the Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) and implement them.

With the legal framework now in place, the MoFA has begun advancing the process of constructing buildings for missions that already own land. The process has been initiated for chancery and residential buildings in Australia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

According to FM Khanal, a consultant has already been appointed to undertake architectural and engineering work and prepare a cost estimate for the construction of the Nepali Embassy building in Canberra.

He said work was under way to prepare the terms of reference (ToR) required to select a consultant to carry out architectural, design and engineering work and prepare a cost estimate for the construction of the Nepali Embassy and residential building in Bangkok.

 

Local staff at Nepali missions abroad

Likewise, FM Khanal informed the House of Representatives that local staff are appointed at Nepali missions abroad in accordance with a directive formulated a decade ago for the same.

A total of 374 local employees are currently working at Nepali diplomatic missions abroad, including 185 Nepali citizens and 126 foreign nationals.

Lawmaker Nishcal Rai had sought the number of Nepali and foreign local employees working at Nepali missions abroad and the financial burden they impose on the state.

According to FM Khanal, locally available personnel are hired on contract to assist diplomatic staff with day-to-day administrative, consular and other duties at Nepali missions abroad. He said hiring local employees, rather than sending additional staff from Nepal, was more cost-effective while also making operations easier and being practical from administrative and diplomatic perspectives.

Minister Khanal also said Rs. 911.73 million was spent on salaries for local staff in the FY 2025/26. He claimed that the number of local employees at Nepali missions was significantly lower than in other countries with large diaspora similar to Nepal’s.

"The Nepali missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is home to around 700,000 Nepalis, have a combined total of only 10 local employees. But Philippine mission has 75 local employees," he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 19 August 2026.