Miscellaneous
S Korea air ticket 23pc cheaper for workers
The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) on Monday announced the reduction of airfare by 23 percent for Nepali workers travelling to South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS).The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) on Monday announced the reduction of airfare by 23 percent for Nepali workers travelling to South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS).
With the new revised rate, a South Korea bound worker would pay $411 (Rs45,292) for a one-way air ticket as against the previous fare of $530 (Rs 58,272). EPS Korea Section Director Krishna Prasad Khanal said the price of air ticket for South Korean was set after e-bidding. The e-bidding was done for the first time to set ticket price. “We wanted to give financial relief to our workers. Therefore, we called for a tender and fixed the new rate,” said Khanal.
The department selected Sea Links Travels & Tours Pvt Ltd from five companies that filed their expression of interests for supplying tickets.
Since 2008, when labour migration for South Korea first started, the airfare was set at $541. The airfare was then reduced to $530 in December 2016.
The EPS section estimates that new price will save nearly Rs10 million annually as nearly 8,000 Nepalis travel to South Korea. Newly appointed Director General of DoFE Dilip Kumar Chapagain said the airfare was lowered as per the government’s policy of providing financial assistance to Nepali workers.
“The government wants to make sure our workers go on foreign employment with minimum investment. More such measures for workers may be introduced in the future,” said Chapagain.