The ministers include Minister for Labor and Transport Management Sarita Giri, State Minister for Health Saroj Yadav and State Minister for Land Reform and Management Jwala Sah. [break]
"The prime minister has begun investigations against them and will punish them if the allegations are substantiated," said Bishwodeep Pandey, the prime minister´s personal secretary.
According to sources at the prime minister´s office and the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MLoTM), the prime minister is concerned over Giri´s defiance of directives from his office to usher in reforms in foreign employment and take tough action manpower companies involved in duping migrant workers.
In its bid to curb malpractices and dupping by the mushrooming manpower agencies, the prime minister´s office, shortly after the Bhattarai-led government came to power, had directed MLoTM to approve demands for manpower from foreign companies only after getting a clearance from Nepali missions based in the countries from where the demands have been received.
In addition, the prime minister´s office had directed the ministry not to issue license to any new manpower companies, arguing that the existing manpower companies -- around 900 -- are enough for a country like Nepal.
But Minister Giri pressured senior bureaucrats at her ministry not to enforce the directives, according sources at the prime minister´s office and at the ministry. She also recalled Director General at the Department of Foreign Employment Purna Chandra Bhattarai to the ministry, allegedly under pressure from manpower agencies. Bhattarai had ushered in remarkable reforms at the department.
Minister Giri was not available for comment on the allegations against her, despite repeated attempts to contact her.
The prime minister also called State Minister for Health Saroj Yadav to his office on Monday morning for clarifications over his misbehavior under the influence of alcohol towards doctors and nurses at Bir Hospital on Sunday evening.
Similarly, the prime minister took up public allegations by State Minister for Land Reform and Management Sah against Minister for Land Reform Bhim Prasad Gautam regarding recent transfer of employees at the ministry.
According to a source, the prime minister was angry with Sah for making public such a serious allegation against a minister from the same party. Sah and Gautam represent the Maoist party.
"You should have first come to me if you had any concerns but you did not do that," a source quoted the prime minister as saying to Sah, "Please furnish evidence against the minister."
In response, Sah told the prime minister that she would collect evidence and give it to him. The prime minister assured her of action against the minister if there was evidence.
"It is normal to have a meeting with the prime minister," Sah said when asked about her clarifications to the prime minister.
Sources said the prime minister is meeting officials at the Ministry for Labor and Transport Management, the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management and doctors and nurses at Bir Hospital to establish the facts against the ministers in questions.
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