Kathmandu, March 23: The number of contributors listed in the Social Security Fund has exceeded four lakhs. In the four years since the Social Security Scheme was launched, 430,000 workers have been registered in the fund.
The fund had announced the social security scheme on November 27, 2018. Three lakh 7,718 laborers have been registered from Bagmati province. Likewise, 38,957 workers from Koshi Province, 21,258 from Madhes Province, 15,241 from Gandaki Province, 14,099 from Lumbini Province, 1,529 from Sudurpaschim Province and 1,228 from Karnali Province have been registered.
The fund aims to register a total of five lakh workers by the end of next July 15 this year. Also, a total of 17,739 employers have joined the fund. The fund has so far collected contributions nearly of Rs. 30 billion. The fund has paid claims of Rs 3.83 billion to contributors under various schemes.
Recently, the fund has been expanding the scope of social security scheme. According to the fund, it’s planning to launch contribution-based social security for foreign workers.
The fund, which has been making the workers of the formal sector join the scheme, has started to list the foreign employed and self-employed workers in the fund from Wednesday.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” started the work of registering the workers in foreign areas in the fund during a program organized on Wednesday.
It is estimated that thousands of foreign workers and self-employed workers will be included in the scheme after the registration of foreign employed workers has started. The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) had been requesting the government to include foreign workers in the social security scheme for a long time.
The fund is conducting various schemes such as medical treatment, health and maternity protection scheme, accident and disability protection scheme, dependent family protection scheme and old age protection scheme for the regular contributors.
