Govt to devise policy to address urban poverty

KATHMANDU, JAN 28 -

The government is all set to devise a policy to address the issues related to urban poverty which has surged in recent years with the influx of the people in urban areas.

The Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MoCPA) has expedited efforts to devise the policy to address the problem in a comprehensive way.

Under the policy, the government will first identify the urban poor based on their fixed property and income level and provided them with facilities such as education, health and skill development training.

“Setting up of micro enterprises for these poor will also be given priority in the policy,” said Rana Bahadur Shrestha, secretary at the ministry. “The policy will also guide the national and international non-government organisations that are working to address the issue.”

The ministry has planned to conduct a national-level workshop within the next two weeks to finalise the draft. After the workshop, it will submit the final draft to the Cabinet for final approval, according to Shrestha.

Urban poverty has emerged as an area of concern after the third Nepal Living Standard Survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that the percentage of urban population living below the poverty line swelled to 15.46 percent in 2009-10 from 9.55 percent in 2003-04.

“Increasing poverty in urban areas has demanded measures to address the problem,” said Shrestha. “Urban poverty is a neglected area as the government’s focus has always been on reducing poverty in villages.”

The Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) is also studying the status of urban poor so as to introduce necessary measures to reduce

their poverty level. The PAF has said it plans to launch several income generating schemes, skill development and sanitation programme for them.

Source: The Kathmandu Post