Under the revised agreement, the two governments intend to offer following benefits to Nepali migrant workers travelling to UAE:

• Hiring at no cost
• Employers will bear the expenses related to two-way air travel, visa, recruitment services, health check-up, accommodation and security screening
• Employers will process the payments via banking channel by the 10^th day of every month
• Nepal Labor Ministry has developed a ‘wage protection system’ that will be monitored by a new committee to be setup
• A new medical and work insurance system to take care of employees’ general medical expenses, death and accident, among other issues, along with equal treatment in insurance and security cover
• Special provision for housemaids very soon, supporting Nepali women migrant workers
• Employees can leave without no-objection letter from the employer

 “If the employer firms do not pay the wages by the 10th day of the month, the joint mechanism will take action against the erring firms,” says Ram Prasad Ghimire, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security.

Ghimire and UAE Foreign Relation Director Abdullah Al Nuaimi signed the final draft of the discussion in a recent meeting.

The labor agreement with UAE is expected to be signed within May 2019. Its implementation will replace the existing labor agreement signed in 2007.

According to Ghimire, the government is also planning to new labor agreements with Qatar and Oman very soon.

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The Himalayan nation featured in the World Bank’s top 20 remittance recipients in 2018, for inflows.

According to the World Bank data, Nepal received remittance inflows worth USD 8,064 million in 2018, standing at the top 19^th recipient among world nations.

The country registered a 16 percent year-on-year rise in remittance inflows in 2018 compared to USD 6,928 million in 2017.

Remittances in 2018 accounted for 28.0% of the country’s GDP share in 2018, placing the Himalayan nation in the list of the top-5 recipient smaller economies: Tonga, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Haiti, in terms of remittance share in GDP.

Read: Nepal Tops 2016 Global Ranking For Remittances by GDP

“In 2018, the top remittance-receiving countries – in dollar terms – are projected to be India, China, the Philippines, Mexico, Egypt, and Nigeria (Figure 1.2). As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), the top recipients are smaller countries: Tonga, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Nepal, and Haiti,” the World Bank said in its report.

Top Remittance Receivers in 2018

Nepal saw a gradual rise in remittance inflows in the last decade period from 2008-2018 as follows.

With Nepal in fourth sport, other South Asian nations in the list of remittance inflows include: India (USD 78.6 billion), Pakistan (USD 21 billion), Bangladesh (USD 15.4 billion) and Sri Lanka (USD 7.5 billion).

Remittance Inflows to South Asia Grrew in 2018

India stood as the top recipient followed by China, Mexico, The Philippines and Egypt.

Overall, the remittance flows to South Asia have seen a 12 percent growth in 2018 much ahead of 7 percent in 2017, totaling to around USD 138 billion.

The World Bank report also reported a decline in employment opportunities for South Asian nations in GCC countries in 2017 and 2018.

“Especially in Saudi Arabia, due to nationalization policies, as indicated by lower deployments from India (-12 percent in 2018 Q1–Q3 and -25 percent in 2017), Pakistan (-26 percent during January–August 2018 and 41 percent in 2017), Bangladesh (-25 percent in 2018 Q1–Q3), and Nepal (-5 percent in FY 2016/17),” the report noted.

Nepal also saw a decline in number of migrant labor permits from 0.40 million in FY 2015/16 to 0.38 million in FY 2016/17.

Also Read:

•  Nepal FY 2018-19: Remittance Inflow Rises by 29 Percent, External Sector Takes Dip!

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The US Embassy Consul Mike Mussi and the Director General of Immigration Eshor Poudel gave away the first set of five-year, multiple-entry tourist visas to US travellers to Nepal, the US Embassy in Kathmandu informed in a release.

The United States Government has been extending similar services to Nepali travellers since many years. Nepal, with its latest decision, is following the similar visa terms for American visitors.

“Longer visa validity and lowered costs are good for both America and Nepal.  It will increase economic activity and exchanges between our countries,” Mussi said in a statement.

“Visa reciprocity is a standard and long-standing principle in visa policies worldwide. The United States Government and the Government of Nepal have been working towards establishing reciprocity for all types of visas since October 2017,” reads an official release.

This decision, which brings parity in the visa regimes of two countries, is expected to increase the pace of Americans’ tourism and business exchange visits to Nepal, thus benefiting Nepali economy.

“Similarly, American students and scholars are eager to study and conduct research in Nepal. Parity in our visa regimes means that more Americans will have the opportunity to study and research at Nepali academic institutions and participate in educational and cultural exchanges,” the release added.

The decision is also expected to offer significant benefits to certain categories of Nepali visa applicants.

According to the release, the decision will also benefit Nepali students planning educational career in the US by saving them USD 200 on each visa (more than 50 per cent savings) through the elimination of student visa issuance fees.

While tourism makes up major chunk of earnings for Nepal, US has been making a significant contribution to Nepal tourism with 90,000 US visitors to Nepal reported last year, a 15 percent rise over 2017 numbers.

Hope the new decision will benefit US and Nepal in all ways alongside benefits bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

Also Read

• How to Apply for a Nepal Business Visa?

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The Ministry of Labor Employment and Social Security has officially launched a call center facility on April 01, 2019!

The new facility allows migrants (at home and abroad) to express their difficulties, seek legal assistance and also lodge complaints on any kind of misconduct such as exploitation, frauds, etc.

Migrants can share their concerns through phone, email or social media applications such as Viber, WhatsApp and IMO, among others.

All complaints received at the call center will be forwarded to concerned authorities for further procedures.

The concerns can be reported on toll-free number ‘1141’ or 16600150005 or on mobile number 9771597008.

Earlier in 2017, the then Labor Minister Farmullah Mansoor had also launched a similar help desk system to assist Nepali migrants.

The new system in place aims to address migrant workers’ concerns that resulted out of poor inspection and monitoring mechanism by the related agencies.

In 2018, around 2,129 migrants had officially registered complaints against fraudulent acts by manpower agencies and agents, who had reportedly demanded more than NPR 1.5 billion in refund.

More such have gone unreported and unaddressed adding to Nepali migrants’ concerns. Hope the new call center facility will address the growing menace.

The post Nepal Introduces ‘Call Center’ for Migrants’ Concerns appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

This statement perfectly suits Nepal more than any country, considering the transition stages that the country has seen over the decades.

Although a landlocked nation sharing borders with two Asian giants, a land with rich history and heritage, a country with very-rich biodiversity profile and abundant natural resources, the Himalayan nation has seen all forms of sufferings: intense political struggle, lack of proper governance, sudden shifts in ruling, lack of support & infrastructure, among others.

Fighting out the odds, the country has started making some positive strides in recent years. 2017 was one in the process that was a game-changer for the country!
Learning from the gaps in 2017, Nepal rose to more heights in 2018, locally and globally.

Look at how Nepal performed in 2018 across various fields:

1) Government

While 2017 ended with the start of long-awaited Nepal’s legislature and parliamentary elections, 2018 marked the beginning of the new era in the country’s political history, welcoming KP Sharma Oli back to power.

Oli Government, by forming the new government, gave a new ray of hope for Nepalis. Balancing the act between the new Asian giants, Oli Government managed to show a new direction to Nepal beyond borders. Resultant is the new bilateral ties that the Oli Government has signed with new nations.

Here are some interesting major initiatives pertaining to the Nepal Government at a glance:

• Federal Budget FY 2018-19: In a first-of-its-kind move, Nepal saw its first-ever Federal Budget on May 29, 2018, for the FY 2018-19 period. The budget made a strong pitch for the socio-economic development of the country, with empowerment of provinces and all local bodies. Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada presented the country’s Rs 1.31 trillion (Rs 81, 750 crores) budget.
• 4^th BIMSTEC Summit: 4^th BIMSTEC Summit is another major milestone that Nepal crossed in the year 2018. Held in August 30-31, 2018, the Summit was held as a strategic development in South Asia and the world nations eagerly watched Nepal throughout the Summit.
• Asia-Pacific Summit: Held in Kathmandu during November 30-December 03, 2018, the APAC Summit 2018 saw the participation of the Heads of States and governments, eminent personalities, subject matter experts, businessmen and leaders of civil society belonging to various nations.
• Air Service Agreement with Cambodia: Nepal signed four new agreements with Cambodia that would enhance economic, diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. The list also includes the air service agreement.
• Fresh round of talks with India: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a four-day visit to Nepal in Sep 2018, which marked Modi’s fourth visit to the Himalayan nation. The meeting was looked as significant in strengthening Indo-Nepal ties.
• US-Nepal Consultative Mechanism: After a 17-year-long journey, US and Nepal met on December 19, 2018 for a new bilateral consultative meeting to enhance diplomatic and bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to take their bilateral ties to the next level with this meet.

2) Entertainment

2018 was a year for some good Entertainment News from Nepal. Movies like Prasad, Chakka Panja, Loot and Maleeka ruled the Nepali Box Office 2018.

Let’s take a look at some of the updates that kept Nepali audience glued to YouTube and other social media on account of their popularity:

• Nepal’s Box Office: In an important step for Nepal Movies, the government introduced the box office system in Kathmandu Valley! Minister for Communication and Technology launched the program at an event hosted by Film Development Board (FDB). The new development was initiated to give the Nepali film industry a boost and bring in more transparency in the investment made in the industry.
• Nepal Film Industry 2018 Success: Movies such as Chakka Panja 1 and 2, Kohinoor, Loot and Satru Gate made a revenue of over NPR 100 million at the box office! This was enough to take the Nepali movie industry to newer heights. Some of the influential factors for this trend included a new breed of storytellers, modern technology, attractive sets and veteran actors.
• The Voice, Nepal: 2018 was the year Nepal hosted the its maiden edition of The Voice, an international singing talent show. After Nepal Idol, the international television show was a big hit among Nepal audience. Pokhara’s Bijaya Adhikari became the ‘Voice of Nepal 2018’.
• Nepali Oscar Film: Winning an Oscar is a matter of pride, but more than that even being nominated for an Oscar is matter of international respect. Among the many international movies that made it to the Oscars, we can say with pride that Nepali film Panchayat was nominated for the 2019 Academy Awards Foreign Language-Oscars. Besides Panchayat, Samten Bhutia’s Tandro and My Love Promise for Kathmandu were also contending for a nomination to the Oscars.
• Song Of the Year: Prasad movie’s Lai Lai went viral on YouTube and other social media, garnering 351,750 views within days of its release. Even though the movie hadn’t released, people could relate well with the story of a loving couple and their journey through life, only through the music and the beautiful lyrics of Lai Lai. The movie released in December, 2018 and won appreciation for the movie’s Director Dinesh Raut’s talent.

3) Tourism

Nepal did some extensive tourism promotion activities in 2018 and made remarkable achievements at the tourism front.

Here are a few of them:

• 1 Million Tourists: In its journey to secure 2 million tourists by 2020, Nepal made a milestone mark when it touched 1 million tourists mark at the end of 2018. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) registered a tourist arrival record of 1,001, 930 million arrivals between January-November 2018, accounting for a 17 percent y-o-y increase. Besides this, the Nepal Government decided to identify and promote 100 new tourism destinations as part of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign. As part of its promotional activities, it plans to conduct several tourism activities in the shortlisted destinations.
• Kathmandu Among Lonely Planet Top 5: The world’s leading tourist guide Lonely Planet featured Nepal’s Kathmandu among Top-5 cities, globally. Kathmandu was fifth in Lonely Planet’s list of Top 10 Cities ideal to captivate traveler’s imagination in 2018. The leading tourism guide praised Kathmandu’s comeback after the 2015 earthquake.
• Lumbini ‘Best in Asia 2018’: Lonely Planet also featured Lumbini in its list of ‘Best in Asia’ Top 10 list of Tourism destinations in 2018. Lumbini was ‘seventh’ in the list. The tourism watch-guard added that the destination is missing its full potential despite a rich historical background.
• Ban on Indian Currency Notes: In a recent decision, the Nepal Government decided to ban India’s high value-currency as a result of India’s demonetization effect. The ban is poised to threaten Indian tourist arrivals in Nepal, besides effecting Nepali laborers remuneration’.
• Travel Marts: Nepal participated in several travels marts and tourism expos including 41^st PATA Travel Mart, Tourism Expo Japan 2018, ASEA 2018 and Korea World Travel Fair 2018, among others to promote its tourism heritage. Nepal’s stall titled ‘Nepal Pavilion’ was termed impressive at the 41^st PATA Travel Mart.

4) Sports

Sports can be termed as one of the favorite aspects of Nepal, considering the country’s growing status in the relevant category, locally and globally in various tournaments of different sports. Cricket, Volleyball, Football, Badminton, Golf, among others are some to name a few, where Nepal has been excelling over the years. 2018 has been a special year for Nepal in taking ahead its sports to the global level and draw additional traction of global audience.

Let’s have a glance at Nepal’s key sports highlights in 2018:

• ODI Status: March 2018 was a special month for Nepal in its cricket history. The country finally secured its ODI status on March 15, 2018, joining the elite group of ODI-playing nations. A comprehensive win over Papua New Guinea in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers on March 16, 2018 gave the country this rare honor.
• World Cricket 2019 Qualifiers: In an exciting news for cricket fans, Nepal made it to the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier series. In a breath-taking ICC World Cricket League Division-2 match with Canada in Windhoek (Namibia) on February 14, 2018, the Nepali cricket team registered one of the greatest victories in the country’s cricket history, confirming its position in the 2019 qualifiers series.
• Sandeep Lamichhane: This young spin-sensation of Nepal national cricket team took the country’s prestige to the next level in the world cricket. With his amazing performances at world’s famous cricket leagues such as #IPL2018, #APL2018, #CPL2018, #BBL2018 and #PL2018, among various other famous tournaments, Sandeep Lamichhane changed the way the world looks at Nepali cricket.
• Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour: The Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy made its maiden visit to Nepal as part of its 20-nation tour, globally. The event saw around 2500 Nepalis taking part in ‘huge rugby festival’ for the first time in the country’s history. This tour marks the Webb Ellis Cup’s first-ever visit to Nepal! This event is part of the ‘World Rugby’s ‘Asia 1 Million’ Impact Beyond’ legacy program.
• Most Valuable Player 2018: Nepal national football player Rohit Chand won the ‘Most Valuable Player’ title and created history at the Go-Jek Liga 1 football league held in Jakarta on December 10, 2018. Rohit helped his team Persija Jakarta record a smashing victory against team Mitra Kukar at 2-1 to become champion of the season.
• Gauchan’s Good Bye: Nepal’s cricket legend Shakti Gauchan said a complete good bye to his cricket career in 2018. Gauchan, who got retired from the international cricket in July 2018, took the #EPL2018 stage to say goodbye to his domestic cricket career as well.
• Everest Premier League 2018: Tribhuvan University grounds hosted Nepal’s biggest-budget T20 cricket trophy, the Everest Premier League 2018 trophy. The 15-day tournament that was held from December 08-22, 2018 saw Lalitpur Patriots winning the title at the finals.

5) Health

Nepal has seen major developments in its health sector in 2018. The country took many initiatives towards assuring a better healthcare system to its citizens.

Let’s take a look at some of such health-related updates pertaining to Nepal in 2018:

• Delhi Declaration: In a move ensuring safe and effective medicinal products to its citizens, Nepal signed the Delhi Declaration to facilitate the supply of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices to people within the region and beyond.
• WHO Report 2018-22: Nepal-WHO Country Strategy (CCS) 2018-2022 report has appraised Nepal of its development status in the health category. WHO reported decline in maternal and child deaths, rise of life expectancy and fall in HIV patients, among other developments in Nepal.
• Rubella-free Nation: WHO listed Nepal as one of the six countries that fought back Rubella disease completely. Surprisingly, the country achieved this milestone two years ahead of the 2020 target.
• Fully-Vaccinated: Pokhara’s Kaski Municipality joined the list of fully-vaccinated regions of Nepal on July 11, 2018. The region got this recognition after a successful immunization campaign held across different wards of Pokhara metropolis.
• Progress in Maternal Health: Nepal has made a remarkable progress in improving health care access to its citizens, with drastic progress in child and maternal health. Nepal Health Minister Upendra Yadav said this in a briefing in December stating that the government is reaching UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

6) Technology

Nepal has always been active in adopting new methods in its process of development. One such trend today most prevalent in Nepal is the Technology trend. The country’s majority youth population is the major driving factor for this trend.

Let’s see how the country performed in this particular area in 2018:

• Welcoming Sophia: Nepal hosted a UNDP Tech Conference in March 2018 that saw the world’s first humanoid robot named ‘Sophia’. Sophia was the keynote speaker at this conference on ‘Technology for Public Services/Development’.
• For Safe Air: Yes! Nepal has successfully implemented technology for safe environment in the form of a mobile application called ‘Safa Hawa’. This Nepal-focused app, developed jointly by the US Embassy in Kathmandu and a private firm, monitors air quality and notifies the users about air quality in their surroundings.
• For Effective Transport: Nepal Transportation Department has come up with an effective idea of implementing GPS in local transportation services. Through GPS-based vehicle tracking system, the government announced its plans to achieve effective regulation and management of the country’s transportation sector.
• For Technical Education: To promote usage of technology and importance of it in the modern day, the Government of Nepal decided to inculcate technical education in its secondary school education structure from the next academic year. Government announced this on the occasion of Dashain festival on October 16, 2018.
• Ban on Pornography: In a major decision curbing malpractices over the internet, the government has taken a serious crackdown on pornography banning around 21,000 porn sites in the first week of October 2018. The government called for a strict ban on displaying porn content across the country.

7) Immigration

Immigration is one area that matters the most to Nepal because of the country’s high migrant population. Lack of opportunities or any other challenge, be it for any reason, Nepalis have been giving their best at every nation they work in as migrants.

Let’s take a look Nepal’s important updates pertaining to immigration sector in 2018:

• Rise in Remittances: As every year, Nepalis in foreign destinations were at their best in sending back earnings to their home. Remittance flows into the country continued to rise despite decline in number of its migrant workers, said Nepal Rastra Bank in its report on November 25, 2018. According to the report, remittance inflows have grown by a record 37.3 percent to Rs 242.17 billion in the first three months of FY 2018-19.
• Foreign Employment Act: In a move addressing migrant workers’ concerns across global destinations, the Government of Nepal has decided to review the existing Foreign Employment Act 2007. “We have started homework for a strong, reliable and labor-friendly act,” said the Labor Ministry. Interestingly, the amended act exempts migrant workers from offering any additional payments to any manpower agencies or the government to travel abroad for jobs.
• Colombo Process: Nepal hosted the 5^th Senior Officials Meeting of the Colombo Process in Kathmandu in November 2018. The 12-member minister-level meeting endorsed the Kathmandu Declaration on Labor Migration.
• Nepal-UAE Deal: Nepal and UAE agreed to revise the existing Nepal-UAE labor agreement with an aim to provide more employment opportunities to Nepali migrants in UAE. In a meeting on September 26, 2018, the two sides decided to undertake groundwork for the process.
• New Integrated System: In a row following Nepal’s migrant crisis, Nepal Government has declared its plans of integrating all systems and statistics related to foreign employment services. The new integrated system involves a software that can be accessed by all concerned bodies including Department of Immigration, Department of Consular Services, government agencies, international Nepal embassies, diplomatic missions and manpower companies.

8) Nepali Mahila

Nepal is known for its diverse communities speaking many languages and following multiple traditions. And, women have a special role and respect in the Nepali society.

Nepali Women, locally called Nepali Mahila, have their significant role in every part of the country’s development, be it politics, industry, entrepreneurship, among others. While they are many remarkable success stories around Nepali Mahila over the years.

Let’s take a glance at some of the significant ones in 2018:

• BBC 100 Women 2018: BBC featured Nepali woman politician Uma Devi Badi in its ‘BBC 100 Women 2018’ list released on November 19, 2018. Uma Devi, currently the Provincial Assembly Member of Sudur Paschim Province of Nepal, has been recognized for her relentless works for women empowerment in Nepal.
• Rise in Women Civil Servants: Nepal recorded a rise in number of women civil servants in FY 2017-18. As per the government records, FY 2017-18 saw around 20,334 women serving in various government office positions, accounting to 23 percent of civil service jobs in the country. The amendment to Civil Service Act-1993 in 2007 has reportedly contributed to this rise in number of women opting for civil service.
• #MeToo Campaign: The #MeToo campaign that traveled across the world also gained serious traction in Nepal highlighting the concerns faced by Nepali women. With the #MeTooNepal taking off, women from different walks of life started sharing their views and agony on social media sites, pitching for serious measures to ensure women safety in the country.
• First Woman’s 9^th Visit to Everest: After setting a global record of climbing the Mt. Everest for eight times in the past, the Guinness Book record holder Lhakpa Sherpa made her ninth summit to the peak in May 2018. Sherpa says that ninth one was the toughest of all. In recognition of her efforts, the tourism community of Nepal honored her with a certification lauding her contribution to the mountaineering community.
• First Woman CEO in Banking: In an exciting update for the Nepali businesswomen community, Anupama Khunjeli became the first woman CEO of a commercial private bank in the country. Anupama replaced former CEO Anil Shah as the CEO of Mega Bank Nepal.

9) Culture

Known for its rich cultural practices and traditional values, Nepal took celebrations and festivities to a newer high in 2018 with some unique celebrations and preparations.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

• NPR 110 Mn Worth Flower Imports: As the season of Tihar made way in Nepal, the nation was abuzz with preparations for one of its festival of lights. In one such preparation, it imported NPR 110 million worth flowers from India. Nepal uses marigold and makhamali flowers during the season, which called for a huge import of 300,000 garlands!
• 3 Mn Leave Valley During Dashain: According to reports, nearly 1 million left the Kathmandu Valley for Dashain celebrations with their loved ones. It was observed that on an average, nearly 2.5 million people were leaving the Valley daily during the festive season.
• Bibaha Panchami Celebrations: This year Nepal celebrated Bibaha Panchami in a very special way. The Himalayan Nation welcomed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to be a part of the celebrations of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita’s wedding anniversary.
• Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations: Krishna Janmashtami celebrations doubled this year with the reopening of the iconic Krishna Mandir. The historical temple was fully restored on September 2, 2018 after the 2015 earthquake had destroyed parts of the temple. Devotees were extremely happy to resume their temple visits and worship to their most-loved deity.
• 39^th World Tourism Day: On the occasion of the international day, Nepal decided to organize a Cultural Street Festival 2018 in Kathmandu’s Thamel Chowk. The cultural festival included events such as cultural shows & processions, dance party and food festivals and the participation of various dignitaries including Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari and a few VIPs.

10) Events

Nepal has always been active in hosting events of any type, be it politics, technology, sports, entertainment, etc. Continuing with its encouraging spirit of hosting events, Nepal organized many important events in 2018, some of them including:

• Legendary Tabla Player Arrives: Nepal hosted a special musical concert of the internationally-acclaimed tabla player Indian-origin Zakir Hussain in November 2018. Held at Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, the concert also saw Zakir accompanied by Mridangam player Anantha Krishnan, Sarangi player Sabir Khan and Dholak player Ustad Zakir.
• 1st South Asia Bodybuilding Championship 2018: Nepal hosted South Asia’s first Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship 2018 during November 23-25, 2018. The event saw 100 participants (male and female) from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• Israeli Film Festival 2018: Bringing the Israeli art and culture to Nepali audience, 12^th edition of the three-day Israeli Film Festival was held in Thamel, Kathmandu on November 01, 2018. Organized by the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu, this film festival marked the six decades of the establishment of Nepal-Israel diplomatic relations and ways to take it further through cultural ties.
• Start-Trend Take Off: In an encouraging aspect for Nepali youth, the country saw the rising trend of start-ups and entrepreneurship culture all across. As a result, major cities of the country saw start-up events to promote innovation and draw relevant investments. The trend still has a long way to go in Nepal!
• NRNA Think-tank: In a move addressing governance gaps in the country, the Government of Nepal welcomed the long-awaited think-tank by the Non-Resident Nepal Association (NRNA). The government agreed to work with Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) as its development partner.

11) Nepal Interesting Facts

Nepal made headlines for some of the craziest and unbelievable world records it smashed. While some of them were loved, some received mixed reactions.

Let’s take a look:

• Dead Sea of Plastic Bags: Nepal decided to make a world record for a good cause with ‘dead sea of plastic bags’. Dozens of volunteers from Nepal came together to make the world’s largest sculpture of 10,000 plastic bags, the Dead Sea, on an open ground in Kathmandu. Volunteers prepared a map of the Dead Sea to raise awareness on ‘how plastic waste is polluting world oceans.
• Only Person to Lick Forehead: Nepal’s 35-year-old Yagya Bahadur became the first and only man in the world to create a record of touching his forehead with his tongue. He now wants to enter the Guinness World Records.
• Dance Guinness World Record: Nepal’s 17-year-old Bandana Nepal created a world record by dancing continuously for a long span of 126 hours! She secured a record in the ‘Longest Dancing Marathon by an individual’ category for her non-stop performance between November 23-28, 2018.
• 365 Nepali Vocalists: A group of 365 vocalists created a world record when they sang to Nepali Lyricist & Music Director Nipesh Dhaka tune. The song was based on an environmental theme and sold more than 10,500 copies.
• One Finger Spin: Nepal’s Narayan Bhattarai shattered a world record by spinning a basketball on one finger for 11 minutes and 22 seconds. This record beat previous world record holder’s spin time of 10 mins and 33 seconds!

12) Special Stories

‘Love for Nepal’ is the unique aspect of Nepali Sansar. This love moved NS Bureau bring out the best-of-the-best stories pertaining to Nepal and Nepalese over the years, irrespective of fields. Resultant, we feel glad to have created an extensive library of special stories around sports, entertainment, tourism, among other key areas of Nepal. We did not miss to pick up the stories of influencing Nepalis and their inspiring stories that stand out as real motivation for all.

13) Interviews

Nepali Sansar has been active all through the year covering every important aspect of Nepal in 2018. As part of the 2018 journey, Nepali Sansar Bureau took one extra step to meet some eminent personalities of Nepal in the form of interviews. The list includes general CEOs, social workers, student leaders, motivational speakers and many others from different walks of life.

Success Continues…

The post Nepal 2018 Highlights: Path of Progress Began! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In its latest Macroeconomic Report, NRB said the country’s remittance earnings saw a 7.3 percent rise to Rs 679.73 billion in the first eleven months of the fiscal year.

The rise in remittances was observed despite a decline in number of Nepali migrant workers moving abroad for jobs and is majorly attributed to the rise of Dollar against Nepali Rupee.

According to Migration Expert Arjun Kharel, more Nepalis abroad sending their incomes to home through banking or formal channels has also contributed to the rise in remittances.

“Remittance inflows have grown even though the number of Nepali workers seeking approval for foreign employment has been on a declining trend,” says Arjun.

A Glance at Numbers
According to the report, Nepal Government approved 342,426 individuals for foreign employment during the mid-August to mid-June period of FY 2017-18.

Malaysia topped the list as the major source of destination for Nepali migrants, followed by Qatar UAE and Saudi Arabia, among others, for the first eleven months of the 2017-18 fiscal.

According to the report, Malaysia witnessed more than 104,149 Nepali migrant workers in the said period, showing a 15.37 percent year-on-year rise.

Qatar stood second hosting around 97,536 Nepali individuals, showing an 18.57 percent year-on-year drop. Next in the list, Saudi Arabia also saw a 46.60 percent decline with only 38,680 Nepali individuals.

Whereas, UAE saw a rise of 5.46 percent year-on-year rise by welcoming 55,631 Nepali workforce.

Foreign market analysts feel that oil prices, low migrant wages and delay in payments could be among key factors that slowed down the movement of Nepali migrants to Saudi Arabia for jobs.

While Nepal Government has seen a drop in migrant departures for the two consecutive years, Arjun says that the impact of the fall in worker departures on remittance inflows will not be visible immediately and most likely to reflect in the coming year.

Rise in Wages
In another interesting update, South Korea has announced increase of wages to Nepali migrants working in the country.

In its latest decision on July 13, 2018, the South Korean Government fixed the minimum wage of a Nepali migrant at 8,350 won, which is approximately Rs 809 per hour, marking a 10.9 percent growth on the current pay.

According to local media, the Minimum Wage Council decided this after a 19-hour-long discussion and is being considered as a first such decision in the country’s history to increase the minimum wage to the 8,000-won mark.

Now, Nepali workers in South Korea are more likely to get a Rs 20,000/per month hike with the rise in basic salary starting from 2019.

The post Remittances to Nepal Rise in FY 2017-18 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Towards this end, Secretary at the Nepali Ministry of Labour and Employment Laxman Prasad Mainali requested ILO Director General (DG) Ryder to plan for green-jobs creation and skill development programs in Nepal.

Mainali made this proposal as part of his participation at the 331^st governing board meeting of ILO held in Geneva, in the first week of November 2017.

While informing that the Nepali youth migrating for foreign employment are in need of skill development programs, Mainali also urged the ILO Director to ensure safety of Nepali migrant labor working at foreign destinations.

“Nepal needs support to create jobs in the country for the youths to prevent them from going abroad and also to provide them opportunities when they return home after completing their contract,” said Mainali.

Meanwhile, Binda Pandey, a Deputy Member of the governing board of ILO and a representative of the Nepali team at the meeting, highlighted concerns of Nepali labor migrants with regard to work conditions and migration.

In this regard, Pandey requested ILO’s technical support to Nepal towards implementation of the social measures related to the new Labor Act such as labor inspection and capacity building.

On the occasion, Pandey proposed the extension of the Decent Work Country Program in Nepal for another five years.

In response, Ryder assured all the needed support from ILO with regard to job creation and addressing the concerns of labor migration, while urging on the need for safe and secure ways of managing migration.

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In this regard, the Ministry of Health held discussions with the UN Migration Agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Kathmandu on October 12, 2017.

Speaking on the matter, the IOM Nepal Chief of Mission Paul Norton said the Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 on universal health coverage cannot be achieved without addressing the health needs of migrants and refugees.

“This policy will provide an opportunity to promote a more coherent and integrated approach to heal, beyond the treatment of specific diseases for all populations, including migrants, irrespective of their legal and migratory status,” Norton added.

In its statement, IOM informed that the policy would address health concerns of the Nepali migrants at all stages of the migrant process while also protecting host communities from public health threats related to migration.

NMHP is part of the project, ‘Strengthening Government Capacity in the Development and Implementation of a National Strategic Action Plan on Migration and Health in Nepal,’ put forth by IOM in collaboration with the Nepali Health Ministry, and is funded by IOM Development Fund.

Migrants Key to Nepali Economy

According to IOM, Nepali migrants have made a major contribution towards the economic development of Nepal.

As per the Department of Foreign Employment, over 50 percent of all the Nepalis households currently have at least one migrant from their family living abroad or in Nepal as a returnee.

In terms of remittance-receiving countries, Nepal stands 23^rd in global ranking and 3^rd in terms of the contribution to GDP through remittances after Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, IOM informed.

UN agencies, Nepali Government officials, development partners, academia, NGO, private sector firms and media are among those who attended the meeting.

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