Nepali economics
Nepali youths at the departure lounge of the TIA
By Prajwal Shrestha
When South Korea faced famine and suffered from poverty, the country had encouraged its citizens to go for foreign jobs. The government had given incentives for those construction companies working in foreign countries. The reason was that they would help to save the country’s food and bring remittance to the country.
The South Korean government utilized the remittance money for the infrastructural development and industrialization of the country. Today, South Korea has become an industrial hub and is also able to provide jobs to thousands of people from foreign countries.
On the above background, we cannot say that sending citizens for foreign employment is not a bad policy, however, it should be for a short period of time and the remittance received from the employees has to be utilized properly.
Contradictorily, the Nepal government is encouraging our working-age group people to go to the foreign countries for the dirty works. It seems the government wants all the working-age group people should go to foreign countries as they are the political problem and if they go abroad, they will not create a problem for the leaders in the government. Surely, those working-age groups of people, if they are dissatisfied, become the strength for agitation or revolution and are the source of political change. If they go abroad, the political leaders can freely organize the loot-tantra. Therefore, the government is insisting on the youths going abroad.
The government itself is lobbying in foreign countries to provide a job for the Nepali citizens. According to government data, above five million youths are in foreign employment. The real number cannot be less than ten million people.
Nepal didn’t face an economic crisis situation like South Korea. Since the working-age groups of people are in foreign countries, the country is facing an acute shortage of manpower. The land is being left without cultivation due to the shortage of manpower.
The government has not been able to utilize properly the remittance amount received by the country. The country has not paid attention to the use of the remittance amount in productive areas as around 80 percent of the remittance amount received from the Nepalis working abroad is being spent on procuring luxury items and non-productive sectors. The trend of procuring land in urban areas has been increased. The trend of destroying agricultural land and developing residential areas has inclined. If the government had intended to use the remittance money in infrastructural development, Nepal could have made a remarkable achievement in this sector. If the government had wished to keep the working group of people within Nepal by utilizing their skills learned abroad, the country could be beneficial in transforming the economy. Nepal has failed in doing so.
Be that as it may, the country cannot rely on foreign employment permanently. Anytime, the country may face an economic crisis if relied on the remittance money.
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