An Approach To Reducing Poverty In Karnali
Karnali Messenger-Karnali Forum for Sustainable development
Rising Nepal"
URL:
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2006/04/07/editorial/editorial1
By Dilli Prasad Bhattarai
In 1985, late King Birendra had said "The objective of our development
policy is to provide food, clothing, shelter, health, education and
security to our people." The importance of this statement still remains
valid for the people of Nepal, in general, and for those living in
Karnali zone, in particular.
Gloomy picture
Karnali Zone is one of the most underdeveloped areas of Nepal. The
zone, which consists of five districts, namely, Dolpa, Jumla, Kalikot,
Mugu and Humla, has an area of 21,351 sq. km. In 2001, there were
309,084 people in Karnali, which means there are just 14.5 persons per
sq. km, compared to 157.3 persons per sq. km for the country.
The per capita income of Karnali zone was US$ 173 in 2001 compared to
US$ 240 for the country as a whole. In terms of per capita income in
PPP, it was $ 940 for the zone compared to $ 1,310 for the country.
Human development indicators also show a gloomy picture of the zone. In
2001, life expectancy at birth was 54.5 years compared to 61 years for
the country. Similarly, the adult literacy rate was 25.3 per cent
compared to 48.6 per cent in the country. In terms of mean years of
schooling, it was 1.48 years for the zone compared to 2.75 years for
the country. Consequently, in 2001, the human development index of the
zone was only 0.347, compared to 0.429 for the country as a whole.
Karnali zone is basically made up of rural areas. However, because of
low agricultural productivity, the zone has been facing food deficit
for the last several decades. Each year, food is transported by plane
from Nepalgunj and Surkhet airports in the southern western part of the
country to the airports of the five district headquarters of the zone,
from where food is sold to the local areas.
The five district headquarters are also the main market centres of the
zone. So far, these market centers are not connected by motorable
roads. Therefore, traders use goats, donkeys and human beings to
transport goods within and between the districts. Presently, a 220-km
long gravel road is under construction from Surkhet to Jumla, the
headquarters of Karnali zone. This road is expected to be completed
within one or two years.
After the completion of this road, Jumla and Kalikot districts of the
zone will be connected to the rest of the country via Surkhet. The
extension of this road from Jumla to Mugu, Humla and Dolpa is also
necessary to connect the districts with the zonal headquarters.
The people of the zone make a living by growing food crops such as
rice, wheat, maize, millet and barley as well as cash crops - oil
seeds, vegetables and apples; raising livestock (goats, sheep, pigs,
cows, buffalos, yaks, etc.) and poultry; production of handloom cloth,
rugs, woolen blankets, leather shoes and traditional agricultural
equipment; collection and sale of forest products, including medicinal
herbs, and operating services such as restaurants, retail trading
stores, tailoring, teaching, working as labourers in agriculture and in
transportation of goods. The male members of the family migrate,
seasonally as well as for long periods, to other part parts of the
country and to India to work. But these activities have not brought the
needed prosperity to the people. The people of this zone are still very
poor from all perspective - economic, social and environmental.
In 2000, the heads of state or governments of the world or their
representatives agreed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
which consists of eight goals, 18 targets and 48 indicators. By
considering 1990 as the base year and 2015 as the target year, the MDGs
aim at reducing the PPP $1 per person per day poverty by half and also
hunger by half; providing primary schooling for all children; bringing
gender equality in primary, secondary and tertiary education; reducing
under-5 years mortality rate by two-thirds; reducing maternal mortality
rate by three-quarters; reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis and other major diseases; ensuring environmental
sustainability by increasing forest cover, reducing the proportion of
population without safe drinking water sources and sanitation
facilities by half, and improving the situation of developing countries
through international cooperation, especially through the improvement
in trade, aid and debt relief programmes.
The millennium development goals mentioned above are important not only
for the country as a whole, but for the district and village
development committees of Karnali Zone as well. Therefore, they need to
be localised/mainstreamed in the district and village development plans
of the zone. This will certainly help reduce income and non-income
dimensions of poverty in the zone.
TIMP
In order to contribute to the realisation of the above-mentioned
millennium goals, especially the one in income poverty, one could
initiate development programmes by providing technical knowledge (T) to
the people to increase their productivity in agriculture, cottage,
micro and small scale industries and service sectors; investment (I),
including micro-credit, at near zero interest rate for business
promotion; market access (M) for the producers and consumers through
the construction of roads, connecting the five districts with the rest
of the country; and fair prices (P) for the goods and services produced
by the people of the zone.
This will lead to economic growth of Karnali zone. The TIMP variables
should be provided to all, but especially to the women, dalit and
marginalised communities of the zone, who are the poorest of the poor,
in order to reduce income inequality and improve the food and nutrition
situation of the poor through a pro-poor growth strategy.
Regards,
Tek