 BIKRAM RAI |
The 278-page report points towards dramatic changes in Nepal's demography that will have greater social, political, and economic significance in the days to come.
One of the highlights of the census report is the staggering number of absentee population. Close to two million Nepalis were registered as absent in the report and since the census was conducted during the monsoon, it did not take into account seasonal migrants who left the country after sowing the fields and returned only during the harvesting season.
The government may boast about high remittance inflow, but behind the glow of foreign currency are the stories of common Nepalis who are have to abandon their families for harsh lives in distant lands with uncertain future.
At a time when the country is reeling under an energy crisis, industries are shutting down, and few jobs are being created at home, people may have little choice than to leave. And unless the state takes serious steps to check this exodus of robust manpower, prospects of long-term growth in Nepal remain bleak.
www.cbs.gov.np
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Nepal's changing demography provides conditions for broad socio-economic transformation, but is the political class ready to lead the country in that direction?
