Social security scheme not possible in a month: MoLTM

KATHMANDU, Sept 10: Although Prime Minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai instructed all government agencies to implement programs incorporated in the relief package announced on Friday within a month, officials of the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) said they would not be able to execute social security schemes within the stipulated timeframe.



“How can we execute the program when we are facing lack of manpower, infrastructure and budget?” wondered a senior official at MoLTM.[break]



Under the package, the government has directed the ministry to implement three social security schemes -- workplace accident, reproduction health and health insurance -- within the current fiscal year.



Social Security Fund Management Committee (SSFMC) - the implements the social security schemes - on August 24 had asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to allocate it a sum of Rs 29.4 million to begin preparation for the implementation of the program. “But the MoF is yet to respond to our request,” Krishna Dhakal, director of the SSFMC said and questioned, “How can we implement the program if we don´t have sufficient fund?



He further informed that the SSFMF had approached the MoF for additional budget to develop a database system and arrange necessary infrastructures. Dhakal said the scheme cannot be implemented without having a pool of technical manpower as implementation of social security schemes is a technical issue.



A member of SSFMC also confirmed that the implementation of the scheme within a month is impossible as the committee is without an executive director since a month. “We don´t know when we will get the new executive director. Other two directors are also out of the station,” the member added.



Meanwhile, the MoLTM, as per the direction of the Prime Minister, has announced to form a labor coordination committee (LCC) with a view to permanently resolve labor unrest in the country. The committee will have representations from government agency, employers and workers.



"We will form the committee soon to resolve labor unrest in the country permanently,” said Krishna Hari Puskar, joint secretary of MoLTM.



Responding to the direction of the PM, the MoLTM also said it would introduce an employment generation program. Under the program, Amal Kiran Dhakal, joint-secretary of the MoLTM, said the ministry will bear 60 percent of the total interest for loan up to Rs 200,000 that the ministry will provide to foreign employment returnees to start their own business.



“We will include 1,000 such returnees in the first phase,” added Dhakal.

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