Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called for immediate measures to rescue Nepalis stranded in Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

PM Dahal, who is also looking after the Foreign Ministry portfolio, on Monday instructed Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi to create a conducive environment to ensure that Nepalis stranded in Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka are rescued safely at the earliest.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), more than 60 Nepali migrants have lost jobs in the recent layoffs and Nepali missions in Riyadh and Jeddah are reportedly receiving wage-related grievances from hundreds of workers every week.

Nepalis are among the thousands of workers from different countries who have been impacted by the recent layoffs in Saudi Arabia which has witnessed a slow growth in the wake of falling oil prices.

Saudi Arabia is the largest work destination for Nepali workers in terms of volume of workers the country hired in the last one year.

An estimated 600,000 Nepali are believed to be working in the oil rich kingdom.  

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has instructed our embassy in Riyadh and consulate office in Jeddah to extend assistance to Nepalis affected by layoff,” the ministry tweeted after PM’s instruction.

PM Dahal has also instructed MoFA to do the needful to rescue 45 Nepalis stranded in Sri Lanka. They are stranded in the island country which is of late being used by human traffickers to smuggle people to the Gulf nations. As many as 18 women have been rescued from Sri Lanka so far by the government. Another 50 Nepali women, who were rescued from Bangladesh, returned home on Sunday.

PM Dahal has also asked Foreign Secretary Bairagi to coordinate with governments of the respective countries and Nepali missions there to bring stranded Nepalis home at the earliest, said press statement issued by MoFA.