13/08/2020 Gulf migrant workers face crisis of unpaid wages amid pandemic a quarter of the Himalayan nation’s gross domestic product.  Kathmandu-based human rights researcher Rameshwar Nepal regrets a lack of willingness among Nepali officials to combat wage theft but acknowledges the country might “not have enough influence” to weigh in on its bilateral negotiations with Gulf states. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE threatened to impose “strict restrictions on recruitment of workers” and “cease labor agreements” with the labor-exporting countries unwilling to repatriate their citizens laid off and left stranded in the emirate. “Given the current economic situation, I do not see any country of origin taking this issue up in the way that they should because this might affect future deployments,” Gois said.  Tharoor said India needs to "urgently prepare and pass a robust and comprehensive emigration bill capable of securing the rights of overseas migrant workers." Second round of loan In the steep-sided valleys of the Himalayas, remittance flows are expected to fall by about a quarter, forcing thousands of households to go into debt to repay pre-existing loans. Indeed, Nepali migrant workers have commonly been forced to pay for their jobs abroad, and those who default on their repayments end up cornered. Unable to borrow from banks, most aspiring migrants https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/08/gulf-migrant-workers-wages-covid19-qatar-uae-india-nepal.html 7/12