Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Center for Contemporary Studies (NCCS) under the Kathmandu University (KU) School of Arts has created employment opportunities for more than seven dozen youths at once.
The NCCS has launched the “Local Government Youth Federalism Fellowship” program in partnership with the Ministry of Local Development’s Provincial and Local Governance Support Program and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal.
According to the NCCS, the program has been initiated to help in the effective implementation of the federal structure down to the local level.
As part of the program, a total of 71 youths—25 in Surkhet of Karnali Province, 22 in Dhangadhi of Sudurpaschim Province, and 24 in Janakpur of Madhesh Province—have been mobilized after the formal launch of the partnership program with local governments.
Selected skilled young professionals will receive technical training on federalism and local government operations and will be deployed to municipalities, where they will work directly with local governments for 17 months, according to the NCCS.
University graduates under 30 with academic backgrounds in political science, law, sociology, public administration, or development studies were selected through a competitive process.
The selected youths will work within assigned units and receive a fixed monthly stipend. After a few months, they will also participate in mid-term training to further sharpen their learning and practical experience.
Program architect and political sociologist Dr. Uddhab Pyakurel said the initiative builds on a successful 2019 pilot experience that deployed development studies students in municipalities across Karnali, Madhesh and Bagmati provinces. “The trained youths will not work for local governments, but with local governments. As a values-based program, the youths will fully respect the roles, experiences, and leadership of elected local representatives while acting as supporting partners,” he added.
Sumitra Khadka, research officer at the NCCs, said the program will help more than 70 youths understand rural communities and governance systems by clearing their misconceptions about federalism and the current governance system.
