Returnees of Sudurpaschim State struggling without jobs

Kathmandu - Siddharaj Bhatta Tek Bahadur Nepal of Kanchanpur district in Sudurpaschim State struggling with unemployment following his return from a job in India is wondering how to feed his family. He returned home in the Nepali month of Chaitra after the hotel in Delhi he was working for closed down due to COVID-19. Nepal is seeking a job since returning home, but to no avail so far.

"I had to return home from India due to the infection. I have spent all my savings. Now, how to feed my 11-member family? I am planning to do something here in my hometown, but I am yet to get loan," he said. Nepal's ancestral occupation is tailoring. But he cannot afford to buy a sewing machine.

Likewise, Birendra Kathayat of Krishnapur municipality who returned home from a job in Delhi, India, is worried about how to support his family. "I am spending my days playing volleyball in the locality. With no income, I am wondering how to feed my family," he said.

Kathayat plans to visit Delhi once the infection is wiped out. Like Tek Bahadur and Birendra, many residents of Sudurpaschim State are struggling with unemployment following their return from jobs in India due to the infection. An estimated 500,000 people from the State work in various cities of India, with most of them engaged in hotel, security, transportation and private company.

Over 100,000 people returned home to the State from jobs in India since the outbreak of the pandemic, said Shiva Raj Joshi, information officer at the district administration office, Kailali. The State government has introduced agricultural programmes through the budget for the current fiscal year, 2020/21 targeting those unemployed youths affected by the infection.

Under this programme, concessional debts, fertilizers and seeds would be given to unemployed youths. In this regard, preparations are underway for collecting personal details of farmers and youths, who have returned home from jobs in foreign countries due to the infection.