The Prime Minister’s Employment Programme, initiated by KP Sharma Oli during his previous tenure as the PM with a loan of approximately Rs 14 billion from the World Bank, remains in a dire state. Millions of youths who registered at employment centres in the hope of securing at least 100 days of work annually through the programme have neither received jobs nor salaries.
According to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme, around 800,000 youths have applied for employment this year. However, only 3,334 individuals have been provided jobs so far, while the government has failed to employ the millions who filled out forms. A total of 743 local levels registered unemployed individuals for the programme this year. The government had taken a loan from the World Bank to advance this programme, securing Rs 13.62 billion (USD 120 million) under the Transformation Initiative Project aimed at promoting youth employment. Despite the loan nearing exhaustion, the implementation of the programme remains ineffective.
The government had pledged to provide 100 days of wages to unemployed individuals registered under the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme using the loan. However, due to ineffective implementation since its launch by Oli in 2018, millions of unemployed individuals have been left in uncertainty.
In the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 4.85 billion for 5,473 projects under the programme. While 495 local levels are responsible for running these projects, job creation has yet to take place. National Programme Director Dundu Raj Ghimire stated that due to budget cuts this year, fewer jobs will be generated. According to him, while it will not be possible to provide employment to all registered individuals, the target is to offer jobs to around 60,000 people.
"Not everyone who has registered will get employment. This year, the budget is lower. We are spending Rs 4.05 billion from the World Bank loan," he said. "Training programmes are also ongoing. The government has allocated an additional Rs 2.04 billion, which will also be used to create employment."
Ghimire further explained that employment records are collected only after job creation and wage disbursement, which is why the number of reported employed individuals appears low at present.
Former Executive Director of Nepal Rastra Bank, Nara Bahadur Thapa, emphasised that projects run on foreign loans should not be mismanaged. According to him, the government must ensure the effective implementation of the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme, which is being financed through loans.
