KATHMANDU: Claiming that millions of youths are unemployed, youth leaders today demanded that the youth self-employment scheme launched by the previous government led by the UCPN-Maoist should be revived to stop mass exodus of youths.

“We urge the government to revive the youth self-employment scheme initiated by the previous government,” said Isuf Safi, President of Madhesi Youth Forum (Loktantrik) while addressing a talk programme on ‘Unemployment Problem in Nepal and Youth Self-Employment’. The programme was organised by the Maoists’ youth wing Young Communist League, as part of the Maoists’ third phase of protests.

He claimed that hundreds of organisations are now extorting people throughout the nation just because of unemployment. “Many youths buy pistol and motorbikes and involve in criminal activities these days to earn their living, just out of compulsion,” he claimed.

Vice-chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Bhaskar Rajkarnikar said the FNCCI had already provided orientation trainings to some 300,000 youths as per the scheme. He said the district-based offices of FNCCI were carrying out works amid impending danger as the unemployed youths even resorted to vandalism at many places.

“After knowing that the scheme was the most scientific way to solve the increasing problem of unemployment, the FNCCI had urged all the parties to take it as a national programme instead of blaming that this programme would only benefit the Maoists,” he said.

Former governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri said the youth self-employment scheme was brought with an intention to stop youths from seeking greener pastures abroad. He also revealed that on an average two corpses of Nepali youths were being brought at the Tribhuvan International Airport everyday from abroad.

Although some 2.5 million people are working abroad and media reports depict their pitiable condition, the government is yet to address the problem. UCPN Maoist vice-chairman and president of United National People’s Movement Dr Baburam Bhattarai said unemployment was the major problem of the country.

“Without solving this

burning problem, new Nepal is impossible,” he commented, adding that around 4 million people are unemployed.

“We had a plan to create employment for one million people every year to open the door for the economic development in the country,” he said.