Migrant workers from Nepal start returning to India as economy reopens

Lokendra Bahadur Dhami, who had been working in India for the past 5 years had gone back to his hometown in Nepal after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic now wants to return to India.

He is among the numerous Nepali workers who have queued up at Kailali's Trinagar Customs waiting to return to India for work.

Lokendra used to work at a shopping Complex in New Delhi as a security guard for the last five years and had returned four months ago. Others like him too had to leave their jobs in India to return to their hometowns.

"Malls have opened in India. I got to join my duty. It has been four months since I reached Nepal to skip the pandemic but I have got nothing to do here. At least I have a job in India with which I am able to meet the expenses of my family. I am therefore thinking about returning to India for the work which is there for me. My employer has been for week asking me to return, so I am off to New Delhi," Lokendra said.

More than a thousand workers from Nepal have been crossing the Customs at Kailali District of Southern Plain of Nepal to rejoin their jobs in India.

Although exact number of Nepali migrant workers are not recorded by any of government institutions, thousands of Nepali are working in India. People of various age groups go to India on annual basis mainly from Far-Western Nepal which has become a means of living for them.

As it does not require visa or permit to work in India, various cities there have been job centres for Nepali workers. Likewise, thousands of Indian workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also crossed the border to work in various sectors in Nepal.

As per the record of June 24, a total of 1300 Nepali went to India from Trinagar Customs. As per the record kept by Armed Police Force, a total of 7,500 Nepali migrant workers went to India in between June 24 to July 24 via Trinagar Customs.

With rise in COVID-19 cases in India during the month of March and the imposition of lockdown in India, more than two hundred thousand Nepali migrant workers had returned back to Nepal. Now with business falling back to track in India despite rising number of cases in India, Nepali workers despite knowing the risk are flocking to India for jobs.

Hundreds of Nepali migrant workers had returned home after the coronavirus induced lockdown was imposed in India.

India registered the highest single-day spike of 90,633 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the national caseload past 41-lakh mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With 1,065 more deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 70,626. The total case tally stands at 41,13,812 including 8,62,320 active cases, 31,80,866 cured/discharged/migrated.