Compensation distributed to families of affected migrant workers

Published On: July 25, 2019 02:30 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, July 25: The Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) has distributed Rs 484.94 million in compensation to the families of 753 workers who have lost their lives during employment abroad last fiscal year.

According to a report published by FEPB on 'Welfare Activities of 2018/2019', among the deceased, 23 female and 730 male workers lost their lives.

Similarly, Rs 91.4 million has been provided to 335 workers who lost their body parts or who health condition deteriorated during employment. Among them, 12 were female and 323 male workers.
Similarly, Rs 1.2 million has been given to the families of 29 migrant workers as expenses for medical treatment. The amount was provided to 9 female and 20 male workers. Likewise, Rs 6.56 million was provided in ticket costs to 78 workers who were stuck in foreign countries, including 73 male and 5 female workers.

Total of Rs 7.85 million was spent to bring dead bodies of migrant laborers back to Nepal from abroad. Total number of dead bodies returned was 82.

Likewise, Rs 1.03 million was spent to provide skill development training programs. The skill development programs were provided to 1480 female workers.
Similarly, Rs 14.86 million was spent to provide scholarship to the children of affected migrant workers. In Fiscal Year 2018/19, scholarship was provided to 1,433 students -- 691 male and 742 female -- below 18 years of age.

According to Din Bandhu Subedi, director of the Welfare, Rehabilitation and Communication Department of FEPB, the total money collected at 'Foreign Employment Welfare Fund' was Rs 1.29 billion. Most of the amount comes from the migrant workers, who have to pay fee to get labor approval. The workers need to pay Rs 1,500 per head if they are going abroad for three years, and Rs 2,500 for employment longer than three years. The fund has been accumulated from 2008, along with the establishment of the board. In the last fiscal year, Rs 10.7 million was provided to the board by the government as staff expenditure.