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Kathmandu Wednesday May 02, 2001 Baishakh 19, 2058.
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Youths eyeing foreign land for employment
Post Report
LIBANG, Rolpa, May 1 - A large number of youths from this socially backward
district have obtained their passports to go to foreign countries for employment and to
avoid the six years old Maoist insurgency that has claimed the largest number of lives
from this district.
The number of people seeking passports shot up all of a sudden when the
government decided to provide passports from the district headquarters some three years
ago.
Before this facility was made available at local level, people had to travel
a long way to Kathmandu just for making their passports which would be too costly and
arduous to get it done.
Over the last three years, the number of people obtaining passports has
reached 2,500, according to the statistics available from the District Administration
Office, responsible for distributing passports.
The able workforce is leaving the district due to the fear of Maoists and
impending famine, says a local, Jeet Bahadur Oli, from western Jungar VDC, who has been
earning bread and butter for his family in India for the last couple of years.
"People would be ready to face famine and hardships if the right to lead
a peaceful life is guaranteed here," Oli said.
Non-gazetted officer at the District Administration, Bhup Bahadur Pun, said
that most of the youths briefed him that they preferred to leave their place because of
the growing violence and insecurity.
"We may become the victims of both the rebels and police if we stay at
home. It is better to leave the place until peace is restored," said Chandra Bahadur
(name changed) from the insurgency-hit Korchabang VDC, who had come Libang, the district
headquarters, to obtain his passport.
Insecurity is not the sole reason that has forced thousands of youths to
desert their villages. Perpetual poverty and unemployment are also the vital factors that
encourage them to migrate in other countries as a seasonal unskilled labourers.
Chief District Officer Hari Krishna Upadhyaya also agrees with what the
general folks argued.
"The growing social decadence and economic crisis are the main reasons
behind seeking passports in such a large scale," he said.
Upadhyaya said that income-generating activities and a feeling of security
should prevail at the local level if the able workforce were to prevent from being drained
out of the district.
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