KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has instructed the Ministry of Labor to study the potential impact of Malaysia’s newly introduced standards for foreign employment agencies and to prepare necessary measures.

The Prime Minister met with Secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar on Thursday morning in her office to discuss the issue.

Secretary Pushkar informed that Nepal has received information about Malaysia’s new standards and emphasized that the matter needs to be addressed diplomatically.

Prime Minister Karki also directed coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Labor to handle the situation.

Malaysia is one of the primary destinations for Nepali migrant workers.

Out of approximately 1,200 foreign employment agencies in Nepal, about 900 are largely dependent on operations in Malaysia.

According to employment agencies, Malaysia’s new standards will permit only around a dozen large Nepali companies to send workers to the country.