Youths are gradually leaving most villages in Kalikot district. Lack of employment opportunities, along with political favouritism and discrimination, has left many young people disappointed. As a result, villages are steadily losing their young population.
Sipkhana Village in Ward No. 2 of Raskot Municipality is one such settlement that has recently become largely devoid of the younger generation.
As young people migrate in search of foreign employment, education, or other wage-earning opportunities, only the elderly, women, and children remain in the village.
Recently, Mathura Upadhyay, a local of Sipkhana, died. Unfortunately, there were not enough young people in the village to carry his body to the cremation ground.
According to Bhanu Prasad Acharya, a local, his cremation was only possible after the young men from neighbouring villages arrived Sipkhana after hearing the news of Upadhyay’s death.
According to Acharya, the shortage of young labourers has become so severe that even during the peak farming season there are not enough people to cultivate the fields, leaving increasing areas of agricultural land uncultivated.
“I run a small business, so I have remained in the village, but hardly anyone else has,” said local resident Laxmi Upadhyay.
“Even if we wanted to stay, there is no government support for people like us. The authorities know we voted for another party in the elections, so even the ward chairperson and the mayor do not provide us with employment opportunities. That is also why it is difficult to find young people in the village.”
The departure of young people has not only increased unemployment but has also weakened traditional farming practices.
Their migration has significantly affected both the social and economic life of the village.
According to local Kamal Joshi, most young people have travelled to India, Gulf countries, or various cities across Nepal in search of work.
The labour shortage has reduced agricultural production, while local infrastructure and development projects have also been adversely affected.
Locals complain that, alongside youth migration, school enrolment has declined, cultural activities have become increasingly subdued, and the vibrancy of village life has gradually disappeared.
They argue that unless the government introduces effective programmes to create employment opportunities, modernise agriculture and promote entrepreneurship, the situation will continue to worsen.
Former village development committee chairperson Laxmi Prasad Simkhada said that, alongside people-centred development programmes, political discrimination against those who support different parties must come to an end.
“Only then, will young people choose to remain in their villages,” he added.
Local, provincial and federal governments should effectively implement policies and programmes that create employment opportunities within villages, prioritise agriculture and tourism, and encourage young people to remain in rural communities, he said.
However, he claimed that such efforts are lacking. “Local governments often instruct officials not to provide services to people simply because they supported a different political party. This has also contributed to the emptying of our villages,” Simkhada said.
As a result, concern is growing that these once-beautiful rural settlements will continue to lose their populations, placing the very future of rural communities at risk.
