There has been hardly a dull moment for Raghuji Pant since the former journalist became minister for labour and transport two months ago. Hardly had the dust settled from the controversy over the lottery system for overseas workers, then 13 Nepali workers were taken hostage in Iraq. Pant spoke to Nepali Times about the crises.

Nepali Times: Is the government going to allow Nepalis workers to go to Iraq?
Raghuji Pant: The foreign ministry has prohibited Nepalis from going to Iraq, but thousands of Nepalis are there already. Some have gone through illegal channels via India, while others first leave for Kuwait and Jordan and later enter Iraq. We have set up a probe committee under the coordination of the secretary at the Labour Ministry. Once the report comes out, we will decide what to do.

So you haven't ruled out the option of allowing Nepalis to go to Iraq.
We have not ruled out any option. But that does not mean that we have already decided. Certainly, a ban on going to Iraq doesn't seem to have deterred Nepalis from going there.

What would you like to happen?
We will have to make the entire process scientific. We must make sure that all Nepalis going for foreign employment should fly from the Tribhuban International Airport and that the manpower agencies they go through pay their taxes. There have been many lapses in all these processes. Many Nepalis are being exploited, there are illegal agencies operating here.

Shouldn't you at least prosecute the agency that sent the 13 workers to Iraq?
We can take action only after the probe committee comes out with its findings.

Won't that be too late?
As I said, a committee has been formed to look after all this. We do not know yet which companies are involved in this racket. What also needs to be cleared is whether our people in Iraq were sent directly there by the manpower agencies or if they entered Iraq after they reached other Gulf countries. Therefore, talking about punishing manpower companies at this point of time is premature.

What about Iraq-bound Nepalis stuck in Mumbai?
I am told that there are around 10,000 such people in Mumbai. We hear horror stories about the exploitation and misery they are subject to. That is why we need to reassess the entire issue.

Now that the government has won the Supreme Court case to make manpower companies select workers through a lottery system, how are you going to enforce it?
We have asked Lumbini Overseas to adopt the lottery system within seven days. If they do so, things will move smoothly. But if they defy us, they will have to face action.

Will this be for South Korea only, or for all countries?
We had to introduce the lottery system for South Korea because there were too many applicants for a few posts. There aren't such big crowds for so few jobs in the case of other places where Nepali workers usually go. If the number of the applicants increases significantly, we will have to introduce the lottery system for other markets also. Our decision on the lottery system came from the recommendation of an official report.

Does this mean you will also be changing the law?
We are amending the Labour Act in which we will also include provisions for the lottery system. We have already amended the draft, which is under discussion.

Manpower agencies claim that bureaucrats in your ministry and the Department of Labour had pocketed hefty commissions from them but after you came in, they could not get work done the way they wanted.
I can take action against such bureaucrats only if there is proof. A minister is not Hitler, he will have to follow rules and regulations.

Have you initiated any investigation on such alleged scams?
What I know is that the ministry and the department are both all out to implement the idea of the lottery system I have introduced. The officials in both the agencies are cooperating fully.

What are the prime markets for Nepali labourers?
Malaysia has emerged as the top market. Then follow Gulf countries like Qatar and Kuwait, among others.The government does not have the exact figures, but there are 450,000 registered workers in these countries and we believed about 1.2 million Nepalis are working in different foreign countries. That in itself is an indication that foreign employment is an area where there are many irregularities. Many Nepalis have suffered because of fraudulence by manpower agencies, they have had to bear exploitation and hardships in foreign countries. This is the country's major source of income now, and that is why we have to streamline it.