Nepali Congress (NC) senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel has stressed the need for making a plan to create job opportunities and generate incomes within villages. “Villages have failed to attract people to live in despite having basic facilities like roads, education, health, water and electricity. So an environment should be created wherein employment opportunities and income generation are ensured so as to attract people for living,” said the leader while addressing an interaction with the theme of budget, policies and programmes for the fiscal year, 2022/23 of Byas Municipality in Tanahun district today.

According to him, in the past, villages lacked facilities. But now, they have got them. However, now, they have lacked employment opportunities. As a result, rural-urban migration is taking place. In this regard, the local level should make policies and programmes targeting rural areas instead of cities, he said, adding that in particular, the municipality should provide monetary helps to open medicinal herb and fruit industries.

Barren /unused lands should be used for agricultural purpose and the traditional agriculture system switched to commercialization, he emphasised. The municipality mayor Baikuntha Neupane pledged to accord high priorities to agriculture, tourism and education in its policies and programmes.