Nepal and Israel have signed an agreement to recruit 300 Nepalese women workers as caregivers in Israel.

Bharat Raj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment, and Yaron Mayer, Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of their respective governments in the presence of State Minister for Labour and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung.

The agreement 'Joint Pilot Programme for the Recruitment of Caregivers from Nepal to Treat Disabled Elderly Employers in Israel' was signed amidst a function organized at the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

As per the agreement, around 60 women will get the opportunity to go to Israel in the first phase. For this, the candidates are required to pass examinations and be fit medically. A total of 300 women will be recruited by the end of this programme.

As per the agreement, recruitment of caregivers will be on government to government basis and the workers will have to pay minimum cost, including air fare, medical test and insurance.

Israel stopped issuing visas to Nepalese job seekers since 2010 citing irregularities, malpractices and exorbitant fees charged to job aspirants by recruiting agencies. Around 6,000 Nepali migrant workers are currently working in Israel, mostly as caregivers and in agriculture farms.