Date:18/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091858800200.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Pravasi Nepalese conference in city

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: The Migrant Nepalese Association of India (MNAI) is unhappy with their Prime Minister Prachanda for not discussing the problems of Nepali migrants with Indian Government during his visit to Delhi.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, association vice-chairman Guru Prasad Singh said Mr. Prachanda could have raised the issues confronting the Nepali migrants so that some solution could have been found. He said the association, which has 25,000 members, would be holding its sixth all-India conference in Hyderabad on Monday and Tuesday. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar is expected to attend the conference.

Mr. Singh said the Nepali migrants who work in various Indian companies are not availing the superannuation facilities, as most of them return to Nepal after retirement and are unable to come back to collect the benefits. He pointed out that neither the Indian nor the Nepal Government maintain any statistics of the Nepali population immigrating to India. As a result, the migrants have no proper citizenship papers in both countries. “We cannot purchase properties in Nepal and our children are ineligible for scholarships,” he said. He demanded that the Nepali migrants be given dual citizenship.

He demanded minority status and reservation for migrants in education and jobs.