Labour minister launches Hami app, urges respect for Nepali migrant workers

PATAN, LALITPUR: Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari said Nepali workers overseas must be respected. He made this remark while inaugurating the Hami app launch and immigration conference organised by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Lalitpur today.

He said Nepali workers have contributed to the development of destination countries and stressed the need for dignified labour and safe migration.

“Our workers contribute to economic development abroad and their labour must be respected,” he said. “In the last 16 years, 14,000 Nepalis have died while working overseas. They go to earn a living, not to lose their lives. There is inadequate health screening for those going abroad, which must be addressed.”

Recalling his speech at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Minister Bhandari urged learning from South Korea’s experience in the 1960s. He said the government had launched the Shram Sansar online platform to provide accurate labour information and predicted that in 10 years, Nepalis would no longer be compelled to seek work overseas.

He added that South Korea remains an attractive destination and that migration must be managed to ensure dignity.

Labour Minister Bhandari described the Hami app as “an important tool to protect the rights of Nepali workers” and said it systematises the migration process. “The government is committed to policies that ensure safe migration and successful reintegration,” he added.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, Park Tae-young, said this year marks the 51st anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Korea. He called the conference a symbol of people-to-people cooperation and said the Hami app, which supports the entire migrant journey, symbolises partnership in labour migration.

Launched by KOICA in 2022 under its Phased Strengthening of the Support System for the Stable Reintegration of Migrant Workers Returning to Nepal project, the app offers pre-departure training in financial literacy and safety, in-migration resources, weekend skills and entrepreneurship courses in South Korea, and reintegration support, including seed capital for returnees. 

The project aims to create a sustainable model for strengthening workers’ rights.

By RSS