Kathmandu, Feb. 24:Labour Ministry today announced a package that is expected to help 18,000 youth in creating self-employment opportunities by the end of the current fiscal year.
The package aims at training at least 50 youth aged between 18-40 form all 205 constituencies in small businesses, construction and mechanical works, hotel, agriculture, health, tourism related professions, Labour Minister Bal Bahadur K. C. told a press conference at his office here this afternoon.
As a part of the package, 48 youth have already joined the training classes at a professional training institute at Balaju.
The programme has been launched in line with the government’s commitment to employ at least one member from each family, K. C said.
The government had included such a programme in the annual budget of the current fiscal year.
The Ministry has a scheme of mobilising both the government and non-governmental institutions to train the youth. “We will call for the proposals form the government as well as private sector and select the institutes that will be authorised to train the youth.”
The successful trainee would be provided with a loan of Rs. 100,000 at the most at a minimum interest rate (maximum 1 per cent). The Ministry would however conduct a supervision programme to see that the loan receiver sets up a self-employment project. “Otherwise he/she has to return the money back,” K. C. said. He said that the loan receiver would be watched for three years.
The Ministry has constituted a 17 member central committee headed by Labour Minister to implement the package. This committee would be supplemented by the district level committees headed by the Chief District Officers.
The district committees would select the prospective youth before they sit for an entrance test. “Our priority goes to those families in which none of the members are employed particularly in the Maoist affected and hilly areas,” K. C. said.