Bid for amplifying employment opportunities gathers pace

ASHOK GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Feb 6: The government which has vowed to end forceful foreign employment within five years is in its final bid to announce the ‘Prime Minister Employment Program’.

The government is engaging its efforts to adequately provide employment opportunities to jobless youths in domestic labor market.

According to Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli would announce the ‘Prime Minister Employment Program’ on coming February 13.

It may be noted that the government’s policy, program and budget of the current fiscal 2018/19 has come up with the plan to offer employment opportunities in the public development works.

The Right to Employment Act-2075 has guaranteed minimum 100 days annual employment to unemployed youths listed in the employment service center. The Act has envisaged the setup of employment service centre in each local level which will identify and enlist the unemployed people.

It is provisioned that the Government of Nepal would provide 50 percent of minimum wages a laborer is entitled to get while working for 100 days to each unemployed household as livelihood allowance given the government fails to offer minimum employment to the jobless.

The government is preparing to create additional internal job opportunities in an integrated manner through coordination and collaboration in public construction and works including commercial farming, irrigation, drinking water, river control, forest, tourism and transport infrastructure.

Prakash Dahal, program coordinator, said the employment promotion program is to be implemented in a coordinated and planned way to create more job opportunities in public construction and works at federal, provincial and local government levels.

According to the program, more job opportunities would be created in coordination and collaboration with private, cooperative and non-government sectors.

Entrepreneurship development training opportunities followed by subsidized loan assistance would also be provided for promoting self-employability. In order to develop a culture to respect work, a nationwide awareness raising campaign ‘Respect Labor, Nation’s Campaign’ would be conducted.

Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista has intensified inter-consultation discussions for the effective implementation of the program.

He has started consultations with youth entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and youth organizations of the political parties.

Earlier, the government has set up employment service center in each local level as a local nodal agency to implement the employment program. RSS