Jhapa tops in worker migration chart
Yadav Raj Joshi
Jhapa has become the top worker sending district in the first nine months of fiscal year 2012-13. About 16,877 people — 15,543 men and 1,334 women — from the district left for foreign employment in the period, according to the Department of Foreign Employment.
The Central Bureau of Statistics had recorded about 812,650 people in the district during the National Census in 2011, with 184,384 absentees. Jhapa was also the top in the migration ladder in fiscal year 2011-12, with 11,776 people from the district going abroad for jobs.
Dhanusha is in the second position as it sent 274 less people than Jhapa, followed by Morang (15,477), Siraha (12,680) and Nawalparasi (11,474). About 16,603 people from Dhanusha have left for foreign jobs in the period.
It is not amazing to see these districts topping the charts in migration figures, said migration expert Dr Ganesh Gurung. “The population in Tarai districts has been increasing by the day, therefore more people from the districts have been going abroad for jobs,” he said.
The Tarai is home to about 13.31 million Nepalis — 50.24 per cent of the total population of 26.49 million. Therefore, most Tarai districts have seen a high number of people joining foreign jobs in recent years, he added. According to Gurung, poverty and unemployment are the major pushing factors for migration in the country.
The southern plains between Koshi and Gandaki rivers are reeling under abject poverty, hence, more than 35 per cent people of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat and Bara have migrated to earn a living. “Peer influence has been detected in migration. Migration for foreign jobs has been increasing in the districts where there already are more people abroad,” said programme manager at UN Women-Nepal Saru Joshi.
According to data, almost all Tarai districts have higher migration rate than hill districts. Average migration in Tarai is about 10,000 while in hills it is below 7,000. In hills, Gandaki region, which has a legacy of migration of Gorkha soldiers for more than a century, has highest number of migration. About 7,923 people migrated from Tanahu, followed by Syangja (7,205) and Kaski (6,345).
Lowest migration was reported in western hill districts. Just 10 people migrated for jobs from Dolpa district and 77 from Mugu and 164 from Jumla. About 18 people have left the least populous district of Manang in the review period.
Published on: 13 May 2013 | The Himalayan Times
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