Nepal to make arrangements to allow citizens living abroad to cast votes

Kathmandu: The government of Nepal is making necessary arrangements to grant voting rights to Nepali citizens living abroad, said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.

According to the country’s Department of Foreign Employment, over 6,50,000 Nepalis have migrated overseas in 2021 seeking employment.

“Arrangements will be made to allow Nepalis living abroad to cast their votes,” Prime Minister Prachanda said while addressing a virtual event of the CPN (Maoist Centre) Migration Coordination Committee on Friday.

He said lakhs of migrant Nepalis will benefit from this move and enable them to exercise their franchise, My Republica newspaper reported.

The Prime Minister said remittances sent by Nepalis living abroad have boosted the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

According to Nepal government estimates, remittances account for about a quarter of the country’s national income.

Over the past few years, migration and remittances have played a significant role in the socio-economic development of Nepal. In 2021, Nepal received NPR 961.05 billion as remittances, constituting over 22 per cent of the country’s GDP.

“The fact that the remittances received from foreign nationals have reached the level of 11 months of foreign exchange reserves is itself a sign of economic improvement,” he added.

Nepal’s gross foreign exchange reserves rose by an impressive 10 per cent to touch USD 10.50 billion in mid-February, boosted mainly by remittances from abroad, Nepal’s central bank said last month.

(With inputs from PTI)

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