The 7 local levels of Dhankuta district, Province 1 Minister of Industry, Labor and Employment (MoILE), and the Foreign Employment Board came to a forum Platform on Migration and Development (PMD) at Dhankuta on 4 December 2022. The programme was jointly organized by Rural Enterprises and Remittances Project (RERP) and Dhankuta Municipality, Dhankuta aiming to share the progress of the Migrants Resource Center (MRC) and Migrants Information Desk (MID) and make it sustainable and effective services.
Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Chief Administration Officer, Employment Coordinators from 7 local levels, Section Officer from Province 1 MoILE, and Executive Director from Foreign Employment Board participated in the programme. Likewise, representatives from District Administration Office, District Police Office, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Returnee Network, and journalists also participated in the programme. The programme was chaired by Mr. Chantan Tamang, Mayor of Dhankuta Municipality, and chief guest by Mr. Saroj Prasad Guragain, Project Manager of RERP.
The chief guest of the programme Mr. Saroj Prasad Guragain highlighted the importance of counseling aspirant migrants on safer migrants and addressing reducing social costs created by labor migration are important in making safe and orderly migration, and social cohesion. He requested all local levels of Dhankuta district to take full ownership of continuing the MRC even after handing over the MRC. He highly appreciated the initiation of Dhankuta Municipality that which is a role model for the operation of MRC and data keeping of migrates and returnees of the Municipality and district level as well.
The chairperson of the programme Mr. Chintan Tamang elevated the issue of migration that which is a growing serious development phenomenon that created social distortion and family deviation. In this situation, counseling and providing information play a vital role in making safe and gainful foreign employment. He added that the local level should be created employment funds in collaboration with all local levels of the district by developing a regulation and signing memorandum of understanding.
The main attraction of the program, Dr. Dyarila Upreti, Executive Director of the Foreign Employment Board (FEB), a central-level migration-related organization of the Nepal government, explored the functions, roles, and responsibilities of FEB, coordination with the local governments. He highly appreciated Dhankuta Municipality for its efforts for safer migration, data management, and making MRC sustainable. Mr. Jiban Shrestha, Migration Coordinator of RERP highlighted the role and responsibilities of local levels that are mentioned in the Local Government Act 2017, MRC operation Guideline 2021, and Reintegration Directives 2022. He elucidated the modality to making a sustainable MRC the formation and entering a local level forum at Dhankuta district and operating it by signing an MoU by the local levels of Dhankuta district.
Welcome speech was delivered by the Chief Administration Officer of Dhankuta Municipality Mr. Ram Bahadur Thapa and highlighted the objectives of the PMD programme. In the first part of programme, Ms. Likendra Rawal, Corridor Coordinator of RERP briefly introduced of Rural Enterprises and Remittances Project (RERP) covering the project objectives, activities, approach, and achievements till now. After then, Ms. Manju Rai, Information Officer of MRC presented the status of foreign employment in Dhankuta district for the last 10 years fiscal year 2011/012 to 2020/021, a total of 34, 434 people get labor permits to go foreign employment as per the source of Department of Foreign Employment. And 30,357 passports and recommendations for passports are issued to the people of Dhankuta district through the District Administration Office, Dhankuta, and Area Administration Office, Chaubise. She also presented the introduction of MRC/MID, progress, and issues challenges while operating the MRC/MIDs. She added that during about 4 years, a total of 7,579 aspirant migrants have received information and counseling services to make their foreign employment safe and productive. Likewise, 53 different cases of migrant victims were registered in MRC and 27 cases are solved in the facilitation of MRC, Rs. 16.92 million compensation is provided to migrant victims and their families. As the same, MID Chaubise provided counseling to 541 aspirant migrants and provided Rs. 10.6 million compensation amounts through the handling of 15 different cases of migrant victims.
After then, Mr. Bikas Adhikari, Economic Development Officer of Dhankuta Municipality presented brief data of the migration profile 2021 of Dhankuta municipality that a total of 2336 including 9 % of women are in foreign employment in different foreign countries. He also highlighted an initiated plan and programme of Dhankuta Municipality for safer migration and reintegration of migrant returnees.
The Chairperson Mugalani Akata Multipurpose Cooperative (representative of returnee migrants), Mr. Komal Rai requested the local level to develop and implement an orientation programmme on utilizing skills of migrant returnees, skill development, foreign language and legal provision of destination countries. Section Officer Ms. Rita Khatiwada from Province 1 Ministry of Industry, Labor and Employment expressed her thankful speech continuing MRC taking ownership at the local level.
The Chairperson of Chaubise Rural Municipality Ms. Rajkumar Limbu and the Chairperson of Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality Ms. Manoj Rai addressed the programme providing their views, likewise, the Deputy Mayor of Dhankuta Municipality Ms. Bhima Khanal, Deputy Mayor of Majalaxmi Municipality Ms. Manju Karki, Deputy Chairperson of Sagurigadhi Rural Municipality Ms.Muna Rai stated their views towards the theme of the programme.
The Chief Administration Officer of Pakhribas Municipality Mr. Prakash Raj Paudel expressed his commitment to allocating the budget and development plan and policy of the Municipality and added that Pakhribas Municipality is agreed to sign an MoU for collaboration for sustaining MRC. At the last, the chair of the programme thanked all invitees to the programme and close the PMD programme.
