The Nepal government is taking steps to make labour permits mandatory for its nationals who seek to work in India - a move that could go against the spirit of the special ties between the two countries and reflect the churning in political churning in the Himalayan country.
Free movement of people, especially nationals from Nepal enjoying almost similar privileges like Indian citizens, remained at the core of India-Nepal special relations.
That could well be the reason why India doesn’t figure among the Nepal government’s list of 108 possible employment destinations for its citizens and those taking up jobs in India are exempted from mandatory Foreign Employment Act, 2007.
This act requires Nepali citizens to get labour permit in order to take up foreign employment.
According to multiple sources, the move to introduce labour permits—first mooted by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal—is being discussed among various stakeholders in Nepal government.
The proposed plan, Nepal government believes, will benefit job seekers in various ways. They include getting insurance coverage, sorting out issues related to wages, streamlining the process of migration, and getting the exact number of the nationals working in India and the remittance they bring.
The proposal would throw up two immediate challenges—how to implement labour permit considering the two countries have a long and open border. That would warrant even district labour officers handing out permits. More importantly, there is a political message in withdrawing the exemption given to India from the list of foreign countries where its nationals can seek employment.
{{/usCountry}}The proposal would throw up two immediate challenges—how to implement labour permit considering the two countries have a long and open border. That would warrant even district labour officers handing out permits. More importantly, there is a political message in withdrawing the exemption given to India from the list of foreign countries where its nationals can seek employment.
{{/usCountry}}There was no formal response from the Indian government on this development and officials said what is happening in Nepal is a ‘discussion’ and one will have to wait for the outcome.
But the very fact that Nepal is taking steps to end a distinction between India and other foreign countries is a message in itself.