The government has formed a committee to investigate irregularities taking place at the Department of Labor and Employment Promotion (DoLEP).

The committee was established after foreign job seekers and manpower agencies complained that officials of the department had been demanding bribes to process their routine documents.

The Kathmandu Post daily quoted reliable government sources as saying the committee formed under Joint Secretary of Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, Dinesh Adhikari, has already started its work.

The committee comprises General Secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), Narendra Raj Shrestha, Tilak Ranabhat and three officials of the ministry. They have been assigned to submit a report about irregularities and corruption at the DoLEP within the next five days.

According to manpower agencies, they have been forced to pay up to Rs 10,000 to process documents of around 100 people, while individual job seekers have to pay up to Rs 15,000 to complete a similar task.