Kathmandu, November 12
The government is preparing to bring in a national employment act. The Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment has prepared a draft of the National Employment Bill and moved it forward.
The Council of Ministers meeting on October 16 approved the principles of the bill. Following that decision, the ministry advanced the draft.
The Ministry of Finance has also given its consent to the bill. In its progress reports for July-October, the Finance Ministry listed its approval to move the draft forward under its policy-level work.
According to the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment, the bill aims to bring Nepal’s scattered domestic and foreign employment laws under a single umbrella act.
The proposed bill seeks to amend and consolidate, in line with current needs, certain provisions of the Right to Employment Act, 2075, the Foreign Employment Act, 2064, and the Labour Act, 2074.
The Council of Ministers’ approval in principle has allowed the process to move to the next stage. The Finance Ministry’s consent is part of that process.
The Finance Ministry also said it has given its opinion and consent on a bill to amend and consolidate laws related to youth. Its three-month progress report further states that it has given its opinion and consent on a bill to amend the Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2074.
The report also records consent to the draft of the Software Development Centre (Formation and Operation) Order, 2083, and to the Science, Technology and Innovation Bill, 2083.
All government offices are required to make their quarterly progress reports public. Under Section 5(3) of the Right to Information Act, 2064, and Rule 3 of the Right to Information Regulation, 2065, they must publish such reports proactively.
Sub-section 3 states that a public body must update and publish the information under sub-section 2 at least once every three months, taking into account the time of its establishment and development.
In line with the Act’s aim of making the work of government bodies transparent, accountable and open, the Finance Ministry has released its progress report for the last three months.
