Province-level workshop on social security schemes concludes in Dhangadhi

DHANGADHI: A province-level stakeholder consultative workshop on social security schemes and practices concluded in Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City, Kailali, on Monday.

The event was organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Kathmandu and FNCCI Sudurpashchim Province in collaboration with the Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal (EWPN) programme, hosted by Sudurpashchim Province and run in cooperation with the Social Security Fund (SSF).

FNCCI Sudurpashchim Province President Pushpa Kunwar chaired the programme. Nirpa Sunar of the Sudurpashchim Province Policy and Planning Commission attended as special guest, while FNCCI Vice President and Employers' Council Chairperson Prabal Jung Pandey served as chief guest.

During the programme, Deputy Executive Director of the SSF, Krishna Adhikari, gave a detailed presentation on the policy framework, legal basis, the range of social security schemes, contribution rates, the claim payment system and strategies to extend coverage to formal, informal, self-employed and foreign-employed workers. Adhikari said the SSF contributes to the broader economy through universal health coverage, a contribution-based pension system and internal capital formation.

Speaking at the event, FNCCI Vice President Pandey urged that the social security system be used to secure workers’ futures, clarify employer responsibilities and support sustainable economic development. He called for wider coverage of social security schemes through cooperation among the private sector, workers and government.

Likewise, Sunar linked social security to inclusive development, social justice and the formalisation of the labour sector, and pledged that the provincial government would provide necessary cooperation to expand social security.

The workshop drew provincial government representatives, local officials, industrialists, businesspeople, labour organisation representatives and other stakeholders. Participants offered suggestions on effective implementation, service delivery improvements, inclusion of informal sector workers and raising public awareness.

FNCCI Sudurpashchim Province President Kunwar said FNCCI would work to bring the workshop’s recommendations to the policy level to make the social security system more effective, inclusive and sustainable, and stressed that success depends on collaboration among employers, workers and government.

FNCCI Assistant Director Hari Paudel said the workshop aimed to build a common understanding among provincial stakeholders about existing provisions, challenges and opportunities, increase participation of employers, workers and government bodies in the SSF, and gather suggestions for policy reform. Paudel added that effective implementation of social security schemes would help secure workers, expand the formal labour market and support a productive economy.