Pauwadungma Rural Municipality Prioritizes Rural Road Infrastructure Improvement Through National Employment Program

Bhojpur. Pauwadungma Rural Municipality has prioritized improving rural road infrastructure by advancing work through the National Employment Program.

The program is being operated in all wards of the rural municipality with the objective of creating local employment and accelerating development construction. According to Tek Bahadur Khadka, coordinator of the Rural Municipality Employment Branch, the federal government has allocated a budget of Rs 31.72 lakh and the rural municipality has allocated Rs 31.72 lakh for the program. In addition, the rural municipality has invested an additional Rs 18 lakh to purchase and manage the necessary tools, equipment, and safety materials for the workers.

Through the program, employment has been provided to 85 local citizens for 100 days across all six wards of the rural municipality. Coordinator Khadka informed that the work has been specifically targeted at the poor and laboring class facing employment shortages.

"The program has been operated with the objective of creating opportunities for locals to work in their own place and accelerating development construction," he said. The rural municipality has stated that those working in this manner will be provided with Rs 754 per day.

So far, 25 kilometers of drains have been constructed, five kilometers of roads have been soling, and bushes have been cleared and cleaned in 20 kilometers of area. Similarly, the construction of a pedestrian path with 100 meters of stairs has made it easier for citizens in remote settlements to travel.

Jyotsana Rai, Vice-Chairperson of the Rural Municipality, stated that the program has directly supported the livelihoods of local citizens and helped put the concept of labor-based development into practice. She said that this program has created an environment for generating employment opportunities in the village.

Navin Bhattarai, Chief Administrative Officer of the Rural Municipality, clarified that the focus has been on upgrading road infrastructure with the goal of making it operational year-round. "Roads that used to be obstructed during the rainy season are gradually improving now," he said, "The cost has also been reduced by using local labor for construction. The sense of ownership among locals has also increased."

Kiran Rai, Chairperson of the Rural Municipality, stated that the policy has been to directly benefit the locals through such programs, prioritizing participatory development. "We are moving forward by connecting development with employment," said Chairperson Rai, "This is creating a foundation for sustainable development."

Local resident Dhruv Rai said that locals have received an opportunity to earn some income by being employed in their own place. He stated that along with road upgrading, daily commuting, transportation of agricultural produce, and service delivery have become easier.

The rural municipality has stated that it plans to continue such labor-oriented and participatory programs in the future to further strengthen rural infrastructure. The rural municipality has stated that work is being carried out with the goal of expanding economic activities by making the road network qualitative and sustainable.