Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

The Only Resource

The cover story on youths gave a very vivid sociological review of the youths of the country "YOUTH POPULATION: Future Challenges (SPOTLIGHT January 7)". In fact, the youths (i.e. the working population) are the only assets of the country at present. Talking realistic, we all know that Nepal is not very rich in easily saleable natural resources (except water). Waters and mountains and the topographical beauty of the country do not feed us. Particularly, at times of crisis they tend to be of very less use. The diminishing tourism industry because of the conflict and its impact on other sectors is an example. So, the only thing that we can make full use of is the youth population. We are at the best time to use the human resource properly, as a large chunk of the population is economically active. The youths of the country should, therefore, be trained, mobilized, educated and used for the best of the country economically, socially as well as politically. That is where the investment of the country should be going right now.

Simant Khadka
Naya Bazar

Give Due Attention To Youths

The cover story about youths shows clearly with detailed statistics the situation of the youths affected by the ongoing conflict scenario "YOUTH POPULATION: Future Challenges (SPOTLIGHT Jan 7)". Nepal has been affected by Maoist insurgency since last ten years. This problem has increased the unemployment, particularly among the youths. Youths from rural areas tend to be more prone to be affected in this regard. The political instabilities and the intensity of the insurgency have risen together in our country. And the most affected from this quagmire are the youths. I want to appeal through this magazine, the political leaders, government, NGOs/INGOs and donor agencies to think seriously about the issues of youths. All of them seem to be focusing on children, elderly and women, at present, but they have not been able to achieve desired results. They have not been able to reach the real target group because of the lack of publicity and various other factors. They need to understand that they should first mobilize the most active group of the population, i.e. the youth population to achieve their goals. They could reach the children, elderly and the women of society through these youths, who have a better understanding of the problem as they, too, hail from the same community. On the other hand, the unemployed youths would get employment. I think it would be easy to solve the problem this way. I suggest the NGOs/INGOs and donor agencies not to ignore the youth population.

Kumar Adhikari and S. P. Thapa
B.A. II year
Ratna Rajyalaxmi Multiple Campus

Imbalanced Work Force

The story on youth population "YOUTH POPULATION: Future Challenges (SPOTLIGHT January 7)" depicted the nature of Nepal's population and briefly attempted to analyze its pros and cons. However, I would like to point out on one of the factual errors that you had on the story. You wrote that the youth population outnumbers the youngs and the elderly in urban as well as rural areas. While the statement cannot be truer for the urban areas, where youths can be seen loitering around every nooks and corners, rural areas hardly see any youths these days. Not that the nature of the population is different in rural areas from that of urban areas, but most of the youths from villages, particularly the ones most affected by the conflict, have fled to urban areas of the country and foreign world to seek work and/or to avoid intimidations from the warring parties. This has not only led to a social imbalance, but also affected the economy of the country. With overwhelming number of youths entering the city everyday, the job market in the cities is under a huge pressure. On the other hand, cultivable land has remained barren and livestock are dying or set free because there is nobody to till the land or feed the animals. It is a sad irony that while so many vacant 'jobs' remain unfulfilled in some parts of the country, the overall rate of unemployment is soaring year by year at an alarming rate.

Bishnu Shrestha
Tripureshwar

Practice Free Market

In a free market, consumers have a right to choose their desired product at desired price and the producers/suppliers compete with each other to give the consumers the best possible at the cheapest possible price "IMPORT OF SUGAR: Blow To The Farmers (SPOTLIGHT January 7)." Nepal too, theoretically, has a free market. Therefore, I opine that it should practice free market, particularly because it is a democratic country (in which people's interest get priority over everything else), which has already entered the WTO swearing the norms of free market. The government should ensure that the consumers get sugar at the cheapest possible price and on demand. Consumers care little about whether it is sugar produced by Nepali farmers with Nepali perspiration in Nepali land or imported from a foreign land. If Nepali producers can produce and supply sugar sufficiently at a price cheaper or at least in equal price to that of the imported sugar, then the Nepali consumers would certainly welcome it. But they have always misused the privilege of high import tariff to exorbitantly raise prices and create artificial shortages of sugar in the market. We hope the end of this bitter sugar saga whether with the beginning of import of sugar or thorough improvement in the domestic sugar production and supply structure.

Sita Ram Acharya
Kalanki