KATHMANDU, May 30: Shram Sanskriti Party Chairperson Hark Raj Rai, popularly known as Harka Sampang, has criticized the government’s new budget for overlooking unemployed youth while rewarding those already in public service.
In a series of social media posts following the budget announcement, Rai questioned the government’s decision to raise salaries for civil servants without introducing significant measures to generate new jobs. He argued that the budget offered little hope to young people struggling to find employment.
“The salaries of those who are already employed have gone up. But what has improved for those without jobs?” Rai wrote, aiming at what he described as the government’s failure to address unemployment. He also reminded political leaders of past commitments to create 1.2 million jobs, saying those promises now appear to have been forgotten.
Rai warned that salary hikes for government employees alone would not solve the country’s economic challenges and suggested such measures could face public resistance if meaningful employment opportunities for young people do not accompany them. Calling for broader economic reforms, he urged youth to organize and push for policies that create jobs and strengthen domestic economic prospects.
His comments appeared to target the ruling National Independent Party (RSP), which had pledged during the last election campaign to generate 1.2 million decent jobs within five years across sectors such as information technology, construction, tourism, agriculture, and industry.
The criticism came a day after Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle unveiled the budget for the upcoming fiscal year during a joint session of Parliament. Among the key announcements was a salary increase for civil servants, with overall compensation rising by about 21 percent after grade adjustments. Under the new structure, the minimum monthly salary is expected to reach around Rs 40,000, while salaries at higher levels are expected to exceed Rs 100,000.
Defending the decision, Wagle said government employees had not received a pay raise in the past four years despite inflation climbing to 17.3 percent. He stated that the adjustment was necessary to help employees maintain a reasonable standard of living amid rising living costs.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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