"Migrant workers would return home with money and gifts. Now it is just themselves", 20 Sep 2020

Earlier when they returned from Gulf countries, Malaysia and elsewhere, migrant workers came back with not only remittance but also with household items...and gold and other valuables....As Covid-19 ripped through Nepal’s labour destinations in the Persian Gulf, Malaysia and South Korea, thousands of Nepali workers...have had to return empty-handed after being terminated from their jobs or after leaving them due to the fear of infection...With no jobs at home, labour migration has been the saviour for not only the workers and families but also Nepal’s economy. In the fiscal year 2019-20, remittances brought in Rs875 billion, according to Nepal Rastra Bank figures....Migrant workers finally returning home are not only coming back with almost nothing, but also with loans since they were compelled to return midway even before they would clear their loans...Kalim Miya from Gorkha went to work as a cab driver in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates last year....After months of struggle, Miya instead returned home in July with loans over Rs400,000, including Rs345,000 which he had paid to the recruitment agency.