Yadav Raj Joshi

The government's initiative to register unemployed youths and facilitate them in finding jobs has failed in its target. The Department of Labour has registered 54,442 unemployed youths in the last four years.

Prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai had introduced the programme when he was finance minister in 2008-09. Employment Information Centres (EIC) had been established in 14 zones in April 2009, to build a data bank of the Nepali labour force.

About 20,000 unemployed youths had registered themselves in the first year, with the highest registration of 3,171 youths in Mahakali zone. In the last two years — fiscal year 2009-10 and 2010-11— only 15,414 Nepali youths had shown an interest in the programme as it failed to operate as an unemployment roster. More than 400,000 Nepali youths enter the labour market each year and the Nepali labour force at present is estimated at 17.1 million.

At the time, department officials had commented that the youth are not interested in registering themselves at EIC, as the government had not linked EIC to jobs or trainings. The situation has not changed but registration has increased this year due to the Maoist-led government.

About 19,028 people registered themselves until the 11th month of the current fiscal year.

"We were successful in attracting more youths through awareness raising programmes," said director general at the department Dr Man Bahadur BK.

According to him, the department has also urged employers like Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Confederation of Nepalese Industries to select workers from the roster.

The department is going to expedite the process of linking unemployed youths and employers from fiscal year 2012-13.

Govt spend 100,000 to create an employment

Kathmandu: The government had spent around Rs 100,000 to create one employment. According to the Economic Survey, the government has been able to lend Rs 330 million to some 3,343 unemployed in last three years under the ambitious scheme. The government has failed to create employment under the Youth Self Employment programme that it brough while, incumbent caretaker prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai was finance minister in 2008, the data revealed. Under the programme, some two million unemployed youth have applied for the government assistance for the employment. "Most of the loan has been disbursed for the agriculture, animal husbandary and cash crops, whereas very few have also borrowed to open beauty parlor and motorbike workshop.

Published on: 16 July 2012 | The Himalayan Times