PM Employment Programme promotes women participation in development

TAPLEJUNG, April 20: The ongoing development works at local levels in Taplejung district have witnessed rising participation of women.

Women participation in development works carried out by the local levels under the Prime Minister Employment Programme is visible in small irrigation projects, road construction, drinking water projects, building construction and others.

The women have made economic gains as well as good command of skills in the related fields after their increased involvement. 

Shivamaya Siwa, a woman from Sidingwa Rural Municipality-3 in the district, shared that her schedules have changed in the recent days after the project implementation under the Prime Minister Employment Programme. "We have been working for construction of roads and irrigation canal. We have performed better than the men," she shared.

In Taplejung, as high as 300 women have been directly working in the development areas through the Prime Minister Employment Programme.  

Lila Gautam of Sirijunga Rural Municipality-3 received cash for the first time from her own bank account last Sunday after working in this programme. 

"I did not have my bank account. After the beginning of Prime Minister Employment Programme, I opened my bank account there and withdrew Rs 17,000 in cash as the first month's salary," 26-year-old Gautam said. 

In Sirijunga Rural Municipality, altogether 63 women collected their first month's salary on Sunday for working in the development works under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.   

Rural Municipality's Employment Programme Coordinator Himal Timilsina said that a total of 212 employees were selected including 63 women in the rural municipality for the project implementation under the Prime Minister Employment Programme.

As high as 300 women are working on daily basis in nine local levels in Taplejung district and each employee collects Rs 517 for the daily wage.

In Sidingwa, 53 women are employed in Prime Minister Employment Programme while the number women workers is 61 in Meringden Rural Municipality. 

Officials shared that 66 women are working in Pathibhara Yangbarak Rural Municipality and 112 women in Phungling Rural Municipality.