According to the Employment Promotion Board (EPB), these individuals are now enterprise-oriented. The local units are required to invest at least 20 percent per person.
“The EPB provides Rs 43,000 per person, while the local units have to invest at least 20 percent of that amount,” said Rajan Paudel, the information officer of the EPB. “Although the money is not sufficient to start a large-scale business, it will be enough to start entrepreneurship with coordination from the concerned local unit.” Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari said although the ministry was providing different compensations for migrant workers, this is the first program targeted at returnee migrant workers. The objective of this program is to utilize the capital, skills, technology, and experience acquired during employment by people returning from foreign employment for the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in Nepal. The cabinet endorsed the Reintegration Program Guidelines in June last year to facilitate the implementation of the program. Based on this regulation, 81 local units started the program in April this year, according to Dwarika Upreti, the executive director of the EPB. “The program was initiated with the aim of creating an environment for returnee migrant workers to invest the skills and money earned abroad in the country, so that people do not have to migrate abroad again,” Upreti added. According to Upreti, only 81 local units applied to the EPF to implement the program. While Dharan Sub-metropolitan City has enrolled 40 returnee migrant workers in the program, Phidim has 60, and Ilam and Khadananda municipalities have 40 each. Chandra Bahadur Rokaha, the past president of the Returnee Federation Nepal, believes that although this program alone is not sufficient for the reintegration of migrant workers into Nepali society, it seems to be of some help. Likewise, Uttam Adhikari, President of Returnee Migration Nepal, said the reintegration guidelines fall short of meeting the expectations of the migrant workers. “No one from the target group was on the team that drafted these guidelines,” he said. Similarly, Tej Prasad Subedi, the general secretary of All Nepal Migrant Workers Forum, said there should be no further delay in utilizing the skills acquired by Nepalis abroad to build a better nation. “We have repeatedly submitted suggestions to the government regarding the citizens who are employed abroad and those who have returned. Hopefully, the government will take action now,” he added. Returnee migrant workers, who have benefited from the program, have said that the program is very effective. “I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship from the training,” said Lal Bahadur Budha Chhetri of Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City. Chhetri returned to Nepal after spending 15 years in Qatar. Some local units, however, seem confused as this program is being implemented in Nepal for the first time.
