October 20: Thousands of Nepali nationals, especially the migrant workers, are stranded abroad due to coronavirus pandemic. However, the government at its own expenses has rescued only around 100 of them. The government has spent Rs 4 million so far for the rescue operation.

The Foreign Employment Board under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has so far rescued 18 migrant workers from Bahrain and 86 from Malaysia by utilising the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund.

The board officials admit that the number of migrant workers rescued by the government is less than expected.

Although the board had allocated Rs 750 million for airlifting stranded Nepali migrant workers, it has been unable to use the fund, says Dinbandhu Subedi, director of the Foreign Employment Board.

Subedi says that the Nepalese embassies in foreign countries should demand the fund from the board through the labour ministry for returning the migrant workers home. However, he says they haven’t sought any amount for the rescue purpose.

According to the board, they have spent only Rs 4.2 million out of the allocated Rs 750 million. Out of the spent amount, Rs 200,000 has been utilized for paying the workers stationed at the holding centres in Nepal, informed Subedi.

Officials of the board say that they are facing difficulty in rescuing the migrant workers who have lost jobs abroad because of the lack of accurate data.

 They say that the Nepalese embassies need to attest the documents of the migrant workers in order to avail them the relief amount. Those who have been identified as genuine Nepali migrant workers can receive up to 75 percent of the fund for returning home in case their contract in foreign countries is over while the newly recruited workers can get 100 percent funding for returning home.

The board officials say that the embassies have been pressuring the companies in foreign countries to pay for the return flights of the migrant workers because the companies are liable to do so under the contract signed with the workers.

The Foreign Employment Board says that around 200,000 Nepali migrant workers have been stranded abroad due to coronavirus pandemic. The welfare fund has more than Rs 6 billion collected from the workers who go abroad for foreign jobs.