A government study report has pointed out that the Gen-G movement of last Bhadra 23 and the protests of the 24th were against corruption, misgovernance, lack of economic opportunities, social injustice and institutional failure. The study concludes that the movement was not a momentary anger of the youth but a collective and structural reaction against corruption, misgovernance, lack of economic opportunities, social injustice and institutional failure.

This was shown by the study titled ‘Understanding the Gen-G Movement: Root Causes, Reality and Roadmap for a Strong Nepal’ conducted by the Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University for the Ministry of Finance.

The study concludes that good governance and institutional reforms, merit-based administration, mandatory digital governance, time-bound policy implementation, quality employment creation, coordination of education and skills with the labor market, protection of digital rights and institutional participation of youth in policy making are necessary.

‘The Gen-G movement in Nepal is a manifestation of the fact that the educated, conscious young generation raised on digital technology has expectations of transparency, justice, opportunity and accountability in a democratic governance system, but when those expectations are not fulfilled in time, that dissatisfaction is expressed in the form of the Gen-G movement,’ the report says.

‘In terms of age, the participation of the 16 to 25 year old age group is the highest, while in terms of occupational structure, the presence of students, unemployed and self-employed youth is notable,’ the report says.

Similarly, the study points out that the social causes of the movement include declining trust in political leadership, restrictions on digital freedom, and the luxurious lifestyle of political leaders and their offspring and relatives.

‘The main reasons for the movement include the deprivation of state facilities by honest political actors, lack of employment-based education, failure to find employment according to qualifications despite higher education, marginalized people in society not being included in the mainstream of development, and appointment of only relatives and friends of the leadership in political appointments,’ the report says. ‘The economic reasons for the movement include increasing unemployment, compulsion to go abroad for employment, low income, low wages even in areas where there is employment, economic instability, non-inclusive development system and development model not conducive to employment, limited opportunities for entrepreneurship, and increasing economic inequality.’

These are the main conclusions of the study:

1. It is important to understand that politics is a sacred work for nation building and national service rather than a profession. It seems necessary to shift the mindset of political parties towards a spirit of service.

2. Political appointments should be made to qualified individuals on the basis of open competition and not on the basis of family.

3. An unemployed person has leisure and also gets frustrated. Therefore, he joins in rebellion and indulges in rebellion. Therefore, it is necessary to make education skill-oriented and employment-based.

4. It is necessary to make livelihood arrangements by integrating the marginalized people of the society into the mainstream of development.

5. The gap between the haves and have-nots seems to be widening due to the unequal distribution of income.

6. Policy instability is counterproductive for the economy. Which has an adverse effect on business estimates. Therefore, economic policies should be stable for a minimum of five years.

7. It is necessary to make the land revenue office, tax and service fee payment office, license issuing office, municipal and rural municipality offices, etc. very easy, transparent, fast and people-friendly.

8. The service work of those doing business should be based on a single-door system. Services such as registration cancellation, exit, land revenue, tax and service fee permits should be provided from one place.

9. Competent and honest people should be appointed on the basis of competition rather than political appointments in bodies such as the Commission for the Prevention of Abuse of Authority, the Supreme Court, and for this, an amendment to the constitution seems necessary.

10. Regulation of the digital sector should be rights-friendly and transparent rather than control-oriented. Digital laws and regulations should be developed in a way that protects freedom of expression, access to information, and citizen participation.