BAITADI, Jan 16: With India being the nearest and one of the most popular destinations for foreign employment for Nepalis, Patan Municipality of Baitadi has begun an initiative to provide free accident insurance for its residents who are working in the southern neighbor.
Although there is provision for compulsory accident insurance for Nepali migrant workers employed in other countries, Nepalis working in India have no such requirement.
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With this free insurance, Patan is possibly the first local unit in the country to enforce compulsory and free insurance to Nepali laborers working in India, said Mayor Keshav Bahadur Chand.
“There is no system for compulsory accident insurance coverage for Nepali workers in India. We are putting forward this project because many residents of our local unit working in India are exposed to accident risks,” he added.
Most of the households in Patan Municipality are sustained with remittance from India, which is the major destination for foreign employment. Locals are employed in various factories and manual works, most of which are very risky. The local unit hopes to mitigate some risks by insuring its residents.
It costs around Rs 750 per year to insure one worker. The cost would be borne by the municipality and its partner for the project, Rural Development and Environment Management Society,” said Chand.
