Dr.Anup pandey / Saurav Raj panta

A new wave of development model erupted in post-1990's Nepal. Telecommunication, migration and liberal economy were the core development agendas of this model. These agendas started flourishing, making people look ‘beyond the glass ceiling’ as they began to think beyond their socio-economic background. For example, in traditional societies like Nepal, where a specific section of society has been enjoying rights and services provided by the government compared to other communities- this has altered society, making every segment to flourish via abroad migration.
A recent data shows 29 per cent of the total international migration population is Janajatis, and 13 per cent, is Hill Dalits( CDSA 2014), which shows people started 'dreaming' for themselves irrespective of their caste, creed, and sect. The migration in Nepal became new normal. The poverty started decreasing from 41.8 per cent in 1995/1996 to 25.16 per cent in 2010/11(NLSS II &III). The current population below the poverty line is 21.6 per cent (2017/2018).
Between 1981 and 2001, about 3 per cent of the population went abroad, which increased to 7 per cent by 2011. In the 1990s, remittance sent by the Nepali workers was less than 1per cent of the GDP, which became 29 per cent in 2014(According to a World Bank blog). This increase is the result of the Nepali migration to the Gulf and western countries. According to the Nepal Living Standard Survey of 2011, the remittances are used for meeting household expenses, consumption needs and to repay debts, and only a fraction (less than 2 per cent) is invested in productive sectors. This usage depicts Nepal's struggle for having meals for two times.
Nepal has ladder-up from an earthquake weakened economy to one of the fastest-growing in South Asia. The country'sGDP growth rate in 2019 was 7.1 per cent as compared to 0.6 per cent in 2016(World Bank).
Despite the increase in economic growth, Nepal's GDP is much smaller (i.e., $29.8 billion in 2019) in creating massive jobs needed for the country. The 7.1% growth rate for $29.8 billion economy is inadequate to address five lakhs individuals coming to the labor market every year, resulting in an 11.4 per cent unemployment rate (Labour Department, 2017). On the other hand, the Gini coefficient (which is measured between 0 and 1; 0 is the equal society, and 1 is the most unequal) of Nepal was 0.43 in 1996, which went up to 0.49 in 2010/11.
The almost half value of the Gini coefficient by the end of 2011 shows growing inequality in 15 years. The data is interesting as the increase in migration has lowered the poverty rate, but exacerbated the inequality. The correlation between the lowering of poverty and heightening inequality can be a separate research topic for researcher. Consequently, Nepal is witnessing both economic bubbles and inequality rise at the same time, which makes development pie unreachable to every section of society.

Way forward
According to the Labor Department, 43.6 lakhs Nepali have migrated for work; points out the scarcity of jobs in Nepal. Significant numbers of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates go to the USA, Europe, Korea, China, and Japan for Ph.D., and most of them settle there.
A significant number of researchers are serving in prominent research institutions, universities, and companies. Because of less priority and inadequate funding the research field in Nepal is not at a par with the international standard. There are not enough lucrative jobs for young graduates, both from the government and private sectors. The concept of research and development (R&D) is minimal or zero. The government of Nepal has allocated Rs. 163 billion annual budget to Education, Science and Technology for the fiscal year 2019/20. The low budget allocation in R&D by the government (both in natural and social science) and lack of R&D in private companies have put limitations on the research field.
According to the 2019 data of Kathmandu University graduates, Medical Science graduates account for 51 per cent as compared to 7 per cent in Arts & Social Science.
The private educational institutions are inclined to teach the courses that aid the students to go abroad for higher studies and work. A prominent example is nursing education, where the primary choice of graduates is to work overseas. The same applies to doctors and engineers. As a result, in a crucial time of nation-building, our skilled manspower is unavailable.
Interestingly, the developing world students generally take an interest in STEM and Social Science subjects in their country and ultimately due to a lack of suitable opportunities they go abroad, eventually becoming a ‘worker ‘in the developed countries. Unfortunately, these migration trends are going in upward motions, and Nepali policy is failing to address the 'Brain-Drain' and 'Human Resource' flow abroad. We are living in a time when the 'nationalist' approach is taking shape with an increase in xenophobic attitudes.
The rise of populism and challenges to conventional capitalism is growing fast. From the US to Brazil and India to China, every country seems to focus on ‘native first.' In this volatile time, there should be a policy to address the migrant population.
The Nepali government has now started an initiative known as 'Brain- Gain,' which is a good start. But, there should be a healthy support plan for the returnee. For example, China has initiated the "Thousand Talents Programme," which provides a one -time bonus of 1 million RMB to the selected researcher with substantial resources for research, including housing and health-care support.
Such types of schemes strongly attract migrant experts to the nation from abroad. In addition to this, the government can focus on building research agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European Science Foundation (ESF), where researchers can apply for the competitive research grants. There can be small seed grants to begin with, which can support the professors, researchers, and scientists in the country and help create a conducive research environment.
In conclusion, we have been witnessing the economic growth, remittance boom, as well as an increase in inequality. The major cause of these phenomena can be 'migration' (As World Bank had stressed the significance & impact of migration on Nepal’s development). So, to effectively address migration as well as Brain-Gain issues, the Nepal must have strong policies, programmes, and its implementation.
Pandey is a US-based Physicist, and Saurav is a researcher