KATHMANDU:- The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has concluded that it is not possible to open new work permits in West Asian countries under the current circumstances.

This conclusion was reached after a discussion held on Monday between Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Deepak Kumar Shah, Secretary Dr. Deepak Kafle, officials of the Department of Foreign Employment, Foreign Employment Board, and labor counselors and labor attachés assigned to those countries.

Ministry spokesperson Pitambar Ghimire informed that this conclusion was reached based on the suggestion that labor counselors and labor assistants working in the Gulf countries were not appropriate to issue new labor permits, citing the fact that the situation in these countries had not improved.

The Ministry of Labor had suspended issuing new and renewed work permits to West Asia countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Turkey, and Jordan since February 17. Since March 30, it has been renewing work permits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, and Turkey.

Nepali workers in West Asia are at risk due to the ongoing war between the US-Israel and Iran. One Nepali has died and about 20 others have been injured in this war. It is said that detailed discussions were held on basic issues including housing facilities, health check-up arrangements and workplace safety for workers employed abroad. It is said that the ministry has given priority to addressing the grievances faced by workers due to the harsh conditions.

Safe House and Shelter Management: It has also been agreed that the amount released by the Foreign Employment Board for the operation of safe houses and shelters should be spent regularly and that reports should be submitted to the concerned bodies on time. It was also informed that discussions were held on the issue of disseminating necessary information through Nepali embassies in the destination countries and taking initiatives to resolve the complaints received as soon as possible. According to the ministry, discussions were also held on moving forward with the process of drafting standards for safe houses and shelters operating at the embassy.