JUMLA, Feb 18: While more than a thousand young men and women depart the nation for foreign employment every day, young people in Jumla with entrepreneurial spirit are have a different thought.
They are busy building residential houses for government and non government offices. Many of them are self-employed at ventures started locally.
Jeewan Bahadur Budha from Malapani, one of those who have been working as a construction worker, believes that if one puts full dedication to work, they can easily make a fortune in Nepal itself.
“A decade ago, we had to travel to Kalapahad to eke out a living. But now we are earning double in our own village, living among our friends and family,” Budha said. He now makes at least Rs 30,000 a month.
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Karan Sunar of Tatopani Rural Municipality - 3 of Litakot said that self employment in the village was far better than going elsewhere.
“We have learned that rather than doing awful jobs under the scorching heat of Gulf countries, working in our own land gives us more satisfaction,” Sunar told Republica.
Today, hundreds of youth like Sunar have been engaged in local employment. The rate of youths leaving for foreign employment has fallen in the district.
The youth of Litakot village are now constructing building for Kalika Primary School, in coordination with District Education Office. The project is estimated to cost Rs 1.6 million.
Another local, Parimal Nepali, believes that if they made an effort to promote local entrepreneurship, employment opportunities would be generated at home.
Another local, Govinda Rawal, who recently returned to Nepal from Qatar, shared his experience of job abroad. “I lived in Qatar for two years. However, I have realized that rather than working in foreign lands, it is far better to work in our own country. This will generate local resources and help develop the nation.”
The chief of Tatopani Rural Municipality, Nawaraj Neupane, commended the great work of local entrepreneurs in the district and encouraged the youth to discover new opportunities for employment-generating activities.
Neupane pledged to discourage foreign employment and brain-drain by making more favorable environment for economic activities.