It is mainly due to the lack of policies that can generate employment opportunities which is a prerequisite to lure the youths in the villages of the country. Only the physical facilities and services without the policies are not enough to keep the youths from migrating.

By Dr. Kamal Raj Dhungel

A few days ago, I had a chance to visit to a model VDC Kabre of Dolakha district around 175 kilometers in the North-East of the capital. From the very beginning of its history, Kabre has remained relatively well educated village. Almost all the residents are Chhetris and Brahmins composed of different castes. It has a scattered, modest residential area with forest cover. A large quantity of well fertile land for paddy and wheat cultivation that covers approximately half of its total area is located below the residential area. The livelihood of its people largely depends on the production of this land under consideration. I find the village in this remote place a unique from the physical development perspective.

The village is well developed in the sense that it enjoys all the modern facilities. Houses are built with mud and stone and roofed by slate with basic furnishing inside. Each household has a toilet and is connected to drinking water pipe and thereby women need not go outside to fetch water. Hence the women are investing their extra time in other economic activities and spending enough time for their children. Electricity is available to all households. Every household has a radio and TV and even computer for communication. Mobile and CDMA phones are common among the villagers. Every residential pockets of village is connected by the link road constructed under the initiation of local leadership.

The entire arable land under paddy and wheat cultivation is well irrigated. Two parallel canals located at a short distance constructed in different time periods under the sponsorship of Swiss and Nepal Government provide adequate water permanently to irrigate the entire arable land of the VDC. This has facilitated farmers to diversify the product and cultivate their land on the seasonal basis. However, a farmer of the village laments that the pattern of cropping system has not changed. Farmers follow the traditional farming pattern of sowing food grains such as paddy, wheat, maize and millet. Nevertheless, both production and productivity of these crops has been increasing over the years.  High value crops such as vegetable, potato, garlic, onion, cardamom and fruits farming are in practice in each of the household for the home consumption only. Commercial farming has not taken place yet. In addition to this, a well equipped government owned agriculture farm is also located at the center of the VDC. This has served the farmers in providing technical assistance since last three decades by producing improved variety of seeds locally and distributing to the farmers at reasonable prices.

This village has a well established financial institution. Yagya Raj Dhungel, an educationist and banking sector management expert, opened a cooperative ‘Jana Sachetan Sahakari Sanstha’ to facilitate locals for saving and credit one and half decade ago. This sanstha has grown to have more than five thousand members. The villagers can take loan to operate businesses requiring minimum collateral. Likewise in education sector, this village has more than four primary schools located in the vicinity of different residential places. In addition to this, a higher secondary school with well trained teachers was established a decade ago. In addition, the village also has a campus for the students to further their education without having to migrate to Kathmandu.
 
Similarly, a health post with adequate health workers is providing a primary health services to the villagers. A local trained health worker has been providing this service since more than last two decades. He also has operated a medical shop to cater the medicine to the needy.

All these developments have taken place within a period of three decades. Indeed the village is an example for every other community in the rural areas of Nepal. But there are some questions which seek thorough investigation for answer. For whom and for what purpose these developments have taken place? How the people of the village have enjoyed the fruits of these developments? What massage these physical facilities do provide?

Theoretically, development of physical facilities promotes urbanization that expands market and enhances industrialization in varying capacities thereby promoting urbanization and creating broader access to the market. In addition to this, it transfers the traditional cropping to high value cropping pattern. The gradual progress of such type in the village as expected can expand employment opportunities and hence increases income. At this point the village should be on the verge of breaking into an urban area with lots of opportunities which is the most important factor to attract youths to remain in the villages.  But in contrast despite the overwhelming development the village looks like a stranded desert. There are no youths in the village. The young generation from every household has migrated leaving the village only with children and elderly people. Almost all the rural areas of Nepal have the same fate as this village. It is mainly due to the lack of policies that can generate employment opportunities which is a prerequisite to lure the youths in the villages of the country. Only the physical facilities and services without the policies are not enough to keep the youths from migrating. If policies fail to address to utilize existing infrastructure for further progress the highly prospective areas like Kabre might turn into a no man land in future.

(Dhungel is Associate Professor, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University. He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Write comment

Name: Email:   Title:

View Comments	Search
As postings are shown online immediately, please be warned of offensive comments

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."