March 23: Nepali migrant workers who are employed abroad or are self-employed have been included in the social security scheme of the government. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has launched the work of listing the workers abroad in the scheme amid a special program on Wednesday.

During the program, Prime Minister Dahal said that the government is effortful  to establish the culture to encourage every sector to join the social security fund. He informed that the fund will be used to invest in the physical infrastructure development of the state, entrepreneurship and other productive sectors.

“I am particularly saddened by the fact that even the contract workers in the government service could not be included in the social security fund so far. I will start making necessary arrangements in this regard," he said.

Making it clear that the government will not tolerate cheating of young people who go abroad for employment, he said that the days of hurting young people who go abroad for employment are over.

According to Dahal, the government is preparing to send those who are going abroad only after training them and making them skilled. Prime Minister Dahal also expressed the government's commitment to the full implementation of the five-year strategic plan announced by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security.

Labor Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, who is the chairman of the Social Security Fund, said that the government has started implementing the 'Contribution-based Social Security Scheme Operation Procedures 2079 for Workers in Foreign Employment and Self-Employed Persons Abroad'.

According to him, no Nepali worker abroad needs to live outside the scope of social security.

According to Secretary Aryal, this has ensured the social security of 2.2 million workers who are employed abroad. To join the fund, workers have to complete the prescribed process.

Kapilmani Gyawali, executive director of the SSF said that hundreds of thousands of Nepalis living abroad will benefit from this scheme. According to him, this scheme has been introduced so that the workers who are employed abroad can get benefits including pension.

In order to bring foreign employment or self-employed workers under the umbrella of social security, the fund has already approved the procedures for listing informal, self-employed and foreign workers in the social security fund, he added.

“The permission of the employer company is not required to participate in the fund. You can apply by yourself by keeping your passport and work permit. The specified amount can be deposited directly into the account.”

According to the fund, the procedure has opened the way for millions of informal, self-employed and foreign workers to participate in the contribution-based social security scheme.

The trade unions have been demanding for a long time to bring the informal and self-employed workers under the scope of social security.

Even though the workers in Nepal's formal sector have been benefiting from the social security scheme for three years, those who are employed abroad and self-employed were deprived of it. The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) had also been lobbying to include foreign workers in the social security scheme.