Kathmandu, June 17 -- A mandatory skills certification programme introduced by Saudi Arabia for Nepali workers, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, has been suspended after protests by foreign employment recruiters in Kathmandu.

The Industrial Training Institute Nepal Pvt Ltd, which was set to operate the Skills Verification Programme (SVP) centre in Basundhara, put up a notice on its premises announcing the suspension. However, there has been no official statement from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Kathmandu confirming the decision.

Recruiters had gathered outside the training institute on Wednesday, accusing the programme of creating a monopoly and attempting to collect additional fees from workers under the guise of certification. Foll...