The Karnali provincial government has put forward a plan to create employment opportunities under the Chief Minister’s Employment Programme to end poverty in the province.

In the running fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 900 million for the programme. According to government officials, Rs 630 million will be spent on providing wages to workers while carrying out various development activities.

Under the programme, the government plans to create employment for 12,60,000 days and pay Rs 500 per individual on a daily basis. The chief minister and the office of the council of ministers also sent letters to all 79 local units of the province, directing them to send data of unemployed people and proposals of development programmes.

Laxmi Kumari Basnet, chief at Shashakiya Sudhar Mahasakha of the office, said 30 local units have already sent their programme proposals so far.

“We will send the budget for the programmes after receiving data from all local units,” said Basnet, stressing that the programme’s objective is to end poverty by creating employment opportunities in the designated areas. According to her, budgets will be distributed on the basis of programme proposals selected by the local units.

The chief minister and the office of the council of ministers have also endorsed a working guideline for the Chief Minister’s Employment Programme.

According to the guideline, unemployed individuals between the ages of 18-59 will be employed under the programme. Impoverished people, conflict victims, Dalits, minorities and landless people will be prioritised for the programme.

According to Basnet, 60 percent of the budget will be allocated to impoverished households, 20 percent to people living in remote areas and 20 percent to people living with food shortage and other humanitarian crisis.

Fifty-two percent of the total population in Karnali currently live under the poverty line. Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, chief minister of the province, said, “The provincial government plans to make youths self-dependent through employment opportunities. They won’t have to go abroad in search of jobs after the launch of the programme.”

Kebal Prasad Bhandari, chief secretary of the province, said the authorities have prepared strong guidelines to prevent the budget from being misused.

“If the budget is not spent within a year, it will be kept for the next fiscal year by forming a project bank under the employment programme,” said Bhandari.