Dukhani Paswan of Sakhuwa Bazaar finds hope in employment programme

By Bijay Kumar Sah,Dhalkebar, Apr. 22: Dukhani Devi Paswan of Sakhuwa Bazaar, Kshireshwornath Municipality-6, Dhanusha, is happy to get a job. 

She got the job under the Prime Minister Employment Programme launched by the federal government through the local level.

Paswan, who was digging a hole for tree plantation in the park in the middle of the Janakpur-Dhalkebar road section, said that the employment she got for a fixed period in her village has made it easy to manage household expenses.

This programme has now provided some relief to my family while we were struggling to make ends meet until some time ago, she said. 

She is currently working as a labourer under Kshireshwornath Municipality-6.

She said, “I am happy to have found employment. Now we have also become financial support of the family. After the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme, it has become easier to meet household expenses from its wages."

Similarly, Shova Devi Paswan is also getting employment under the Prime Minister Employment Programme. 

She said, "Earlier, I had to stay at home, but now that I have a job, I have a source of income along with my busy schedule. 

It was difficult to manage expenditure for five-member family on my husband's sole income, but now this job has provided relief."

According to her, this employment should be permanent for us.

Another worker, Ramdayal Sada, shared his experience of working as a temporary labourer for farms and house construction. 

He said, “Earlier, there was not much work available in the village. We could get work only 10-12 days a month. Sometimes we had to go outside the village to find work."

Women, Dalits, indigenous peoples and the underprivileged have found employment in Kshireshwornath Municipality under the Prime Minister Employment Programme. 

The locals seem very satisfied with the employment opportunities. In the current fiscal year, 40 people have been working in Ward No. 6 of Kshireshwornath Municipality for the past 11 days.

According to Binod Kumar Yadav, Technical Assistant at the Employment Service Centre, an arrangement has been made for one person to receive a daily wage of Rs. 668. 

He said that the employment programme is being run with priority given to the disadvantaged groups, women, single women, Dalits and indigenous peoples.

He said that preparations are underway to run this programme in Ward Nos. 5, 7 and 9 of the municipality as well. 

He said that workers have been mobilised for tree plantation, cleaning of drains and public places, cleaning and beautification of religious places under the programme.

Mayor of Kshireshwornath Municipality Sukhadev Yadav said that people listed in the unemployed list have been provided employment on a priority basis. 

He said, “We have made efforts to make the federal government’s programme effective and provide jobs to the unemployed in the village. Although, it is not possible to provide employment to everyone at once, more people can be included by increasing the budget and expanding the scope of the programme.” 

He said that the employment programme is becoming effective.

Local youth Sitesh Kumar Jha said that the Prime Minister Employment Programme is very beneficial for poor families. 

According to him, although this programme has been implemented in all municipalities in the district, most of the municipalities have been spending their budget by making their cadres do only nominal work. 

He said that this municipality also had a similar situation in the past, but now it is improving.