Doti, December 13
Many people go to India for work from various districts of the Sudurpaschim province every year. However, the number of them going missing there has increased over the years and it has become a matter of concern.
According to a recent update, 165 people from four local units of the province have gone missing in India or are out of contact with their families.
It is said hundreds of thousands of Nepalis are working in various cities in India for years.
“Most of those who have entered India in search of work are working in conditions of insecurity and difficulty. The trend of Nepali migrant workers missing in India has also increased,” says Khadak Raj Joshi, the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) Sudurpaschim Province Coordinator.
He says the workers who have gone to India in search of work are facing several problems and as such most of them go missing.
Nepali Congress leader Ghanashyam Pathak says the Nepali migrant workers are enduring harsh conditions and exploitation in India as the Nepali authorities are silent on this issue. He adds that the trend of Nepali workers missing in India has also increased in this context.
“A large number of Nepalis go to India to work as they are knee-deep in debt back home. They are compelled to go to India due to a lack of employment opportunities in their own country. Their only hope is to work in India and earn some money to clear their debt,” Pathak says, “But, the working conditions there are also harsh and they cannot save their earnings as expected. So, many of these migrant workers go missing or do not come into contact with their families back home.”
The India-returnee workers also share the Indian labour market is becoming unsafe for the Nepalis.
