Nepal increases insurance cover of sherpas

Nepal today raised the insurance cover for its mountaineering porters and guides, meeting their demands for better compensation and higher payouts, months after the deadliest Mt Everest avalanche killed 16 sherpas.
The mountaineering porters, sirdar and guides will get the life insurance cover of Rs 1.5 million and the health insurance of Rs 400,000 from September 1, 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOCTCA) announced.
Earlier, their life insurance and health insurance amounts were Rs 1 million and Rs 300,000 respectively.
However, the insurance coverage of liaison officers to be deputed by the Ministry of Tourism remains unchanged.

The decision was made at the ministerial level on August 5 in order to address the demands of mountaineering workers following the April 18 avalanche that killed 16 mountain guides, according to Joint Secretary Madhusudan Burlakoti at MoCTCA.
The labour dispute between sherpas and the Nepalese government, which earns large revenues from mountaineering, saw scores of expeditions cancelled, with only one successful summit after most climbers abandoned their plans to scale the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak.
All national and international operators have been told to comply with the new decision from this autumn season.
The decision has been hailed by Nepal Mountain Guides Association.