Keeping in mind the increasing problem of unemployment and poverty in Afghanistan, Taliban have launched a programme in which they will exchange wheat for labour.<o:p></o:p>

Taliban government has decided to roll out a new scheme in major towns and cities to fight the rising poverty, starvation and unemployment.<o:p></o:p>

"This is an important step for fighting unemployment," Zabihullah Mujahid said, as cases of extreme poverty, unemployment and blackouts increase.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/eight-children-die-of-starvation-in-kabul-as-taliban-fails-to-stabilise-country-423575">Eight children die of starvation in Kabul as Taliban fails to stabilise country</a></o:p>

Under this scheme, nearly 40,000 men will be employed in the capital city Kabul and thousands of more people around the country. &nbsp;The food-for-work scheme will pay labourers in form of wheat, rather than cash.<o:p></o:p>

The Taliban government is aiming to distribute 11,600 tons of wheat in Kabul, and nearly 55,000 tons in cities such as Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Pol-i-Khomri, and a few more areas.<o:p></o:p>

This scheme will specifically target people who are currently unemployed, unable to find jobs and vulnerable to starvation. <o:p></o:p>

These workers will be asked to dig water channels, catchment terraces for snow in the hills to combat drought, among other things.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/verbal-clashes-take-place-between-taliban-factions-sources-tell-wion-423548">Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION</a>

<o:p></o:p>

Mujahid and other senior officials, including agriculture minister Abdul Rahman Rashid and Kabul mayor Hamdullah Nomani, cut a pink ribbon and dug a small ditch at a ceremony in the rural Rish Khor area of the capital to launch the programme.<o:p></o:p>

This announcement has come at a time when news of locals protesting for better economy, human rights and living conditions under the Taliban 2.0 regime. Recently, news of eight children dying due to starvation had also circled which had ignited strong reaction from locals of western Kabul town.<o:p></o:p>

Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15 and has since formed new government. However, the terrorist organisation has failed to bring stability in the country which has caused, economic failure, poverty, unemployment and blackouts in the country. In addition to this, experts are warning against an increase in the worsening conditions due to a possible harsh winter.<o:p></o:p>

Keeping in mind the increasing problem of unemployment and poverty in Afghanistan, Taliban have launched a programme in which they will exchange wheat for labour.

Keeping in mind the increasing problem of unemployment and poverty in Afghanistan, Taliban have launched a programme in which they will exchange wheat for labour. Taliban government has decided to roll out a new scheme in major towns and cities to fight the rising poverty, starvation and unemployment. "This is an important step for fighting unemployment," Zabihullah Mujahid said, as cases of extreme poverty, unemployment and blackouts increase. Also read | Eight children die of starvation in Kabul as Taliban fails to stabilise country Under this scheme, nearly 40,000 men will be employed in the capital city Kabul and thousands of more people around the country. The food-for-work scheme will pay labourers in form of wheat, rather than cash. The Taliban government is aiming to distribute 11,600 tons of wheat in Kabul, and nearly 55,000 tons in cities such as Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Pol-i-Khomri, and a few more areas. This scheme will specifically target people who are currently unemployed, unable to find jobs and vulnerable to starvation. These workers will be asked to dig water channels, catchment terraces for snow in the hills to combat drought, among other things. Also read | Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION Mujahid and other senior officials, including agriculture minister Abdul Rahman Rashid and Kabul mayor Hamdullah Nomani, cut a pink ribbon and dug a small ditch at a ceremony in the rural Rish Khor area of the capital to launch the programme. This announcement has come at a time when news of locals protesting for better economy, human rights and living conditions under the Taliban 2.0 regime. Recently, news of eight children dying due to starvation had also circled which had ignited strong reaction from locals of western Kabul town. Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15 and has since formed new government. However, the terrorist organisation has failed to bring stability in the country which has caused, economic failure, poverty, unemployment and blackouts in the country. In addition to this, experts are warning against an increase in the worsening conditions due to a possible harsh winter.

'Work hard': Taliban to offer wheat in exchange of work to reduce poverty and starvation

Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country.<o:p></o:p>

The increasing poverty has in turn led to locals, especially minority communities and orphan children starving. In such a recent case, eight children have been reported to have died due to starvation.<o:p></o:p>

As per local reports, eight children lost their lives to starvation in western Kabul. The children lived in the town of Etefaq, in the 13th district of Kabul, in the Barchi plain.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/verbal-clashes-take-place-between-taliban-factions-sources-tell-wion-423548">Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION</a></o:p>

The deceased children were orphans and had been struggling to find employment and earn their daily bread since Taliban took control of the country in August.<o:p></o:p>

Mohammad Ali Bamiani, a religious scholar and orator at one of the mosques in western Kabul buried these children. He reported that these eight children, four boys and four girls, had been given some bread to eat earlier by neighbours. However, needless to say, a little portion of bread was not enough to keep eight children in good health and alive.<o:p></o:p>

"When the landlord wanted to invite the children for morning tea, he saw that they were all dead," he said, quoting the homeowner. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-defence-ministers-veiled-audio-message-over-regimes-army-looks-to-warn-neighbours-423507">Taliban minister’s ‘veiled’ message over army looks to warn neighbours</a><o:p></o:p>

The father of these children had recently passed away after suffering from paralysis and a tumour in his head. Their mother, who was also a heart patient, was unable to bear the loss of her husband and died a few days after her partner’s death. The family had been unable to treat the father and mother due to poverty. <o:p></o:p>

Now, their children are facing the brunt of the family poverty. The oldest child is 11-year-old and the youngest is less than three-years-old. They had been unable to get employment and earn their daily bread, which led to intermittent starvation, which then became the cause of their death.<o:p></o:p>

Talking about the same, Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, has urged the world to wake up to the Afghan crisis and help the locals. He also alleged that this incident had not made headlines as the victims belonged to minority community.<o:p></o:p>

Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country.

Taliban have been struggling to bring stability in the country. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, locals have been complaining about increasing poverty in the country. The increasing poverty has in turn led to locals, especially minority communities and orphan children starving. In such a recent case, eight children have been reported to have died due to starvation. As per local reports, eight children lost their lives to starvation in western Kabul. The children lived in the town of Etefaq, in the 13th district of Kabul, in the Barchi plain. Also read | Verbal clashes take place between Taliban factions, sources tell WION The deceased children were orphans and had been struggling to find employment and earn their daily bread since Taliban took control of the country in August. Mohammad Ali Bamiani, a religious scholar and orator at one of the mosques in western Kabul buried these children. He reported that these eight children, four boys and four girls, had been given some bread to eat earlier by neighbours. However, needless to say, a little portion of bread was not enough to keep eight children in good health and alive. "When the landlord wanted to invite the children for morning tea, he saw that they were all dead," he said, quoting the homeowner. Also read | Taliban minister’s ‘veiled’ message over army looks to warn neighbours The father of these children had recently passed away after suffering from paralysis and a tumour in his head. Their mother, who was also a heart patient, was unable to bear the loss of her husband and died a few days after her partner’s death. The family had been unable to treat the father and mother due to poverty. Now, their children are facing the brunt of the family poverty. The oldest child is 11-year-old and the youngest is less than three-years-old. They had been unable to get employment and earn their daily bread, which led to intermittent starvation, which then became the cause of their death. Talking about the same, Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, has urged the world to wake up to the Afghan crisis and help the locals. He also alleged that this incident had not made headlines as the victims belonged to minority community.

Eight children die of starvation in Kabul as Taliban fails to stabilise country

The United Nations is seeking $730 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan this year, an increase on 2019 as poverty surges in a country worn down by war and drought, the U.N.`s deputy special representative for Afghanistan said on Monday.

Some 9.4 million Afghans are in need of basic food and housing this year, up from 6.5 million in 2019, when the U.N. sought more than $600 million from governments and other donors, as the economy stalls and the Taliban insurgency intensifies.

"Afghanistan remains the world`s deadliest conflict, and on top of the lingering effects of the drought in 2018, coupled with growing poverty, the need is up," Toby Lanzer, the U.N.'s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told Reuters.

Lanzer is in Brussels and London this week after travelling to Ottawa, New York and Washington to urge donors to pledge cash for emergency support, which is separate from the billions of dollars of development aid for Afghanistan pledged in October 2016 at an international conference in Brussels.

That development aid runs out at the end of this year and the country will need billions of dollars more, Lanzer said. He said the U.N hopes to hold another donors` conference later this year to raise money for the 2021-2024 period.

The dependence on aid underscores the challenges facing the Western-backed government in Kabul, which needs economic growth to help replace foreign money and to provide jobs for the 450,000 people entering the labour market every year.

Lanzer said international financial support for Afghanistan was still strong but that a ceasefire, or at least a fall in violence, would have a significant impact on improving farming, water sources and education across the country.

"We would be available to work with the government in districts where the government isn`t present," he said.

Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban began last year but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on U.S. military personnel in September and December.

Earlier this month, another round of talks kicked off with U.S. Special Representative on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, meeting repeatedly with the Taliban`s chief negotiator. 
&nbsp;

The United Nations is seeking $730 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan this year, an increase on 2019 as poverty surges in a country worn down by war and drought, the U.

The United Nations is seeking $730 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan this year, an increase on 2019 as poverty surges in a country worn down by war and drought, the U.N.`s deputy special representative for Afghanistan said on Monday. Some 9.4 million Afghans are in need of basic food and housing this year, up from 6.5 million in 2019, when the U.N. sought more than $600 million from governments and other donors, as the economy stalls and the Taliban insurgency intensifies. "Afghanistan remains the world`s deadliest conflict, and on top of the lingering effects of the drought in 2018, coupled with growing poverty, the need is up," Toby Lanzer, the U.N.'s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told Reuters. Lanzer is in Brussels and London this week after travelling to Ottawa, New York and Washington to urge donors to pledge cash for emergency support, which is separate from the billions of dollars of development aid for Afghanistan pledged in October 2016 at an international conference in Brussels. That development aid runs out at the end of this year and the country will need billions of dollars more, Lanzer said. He said the U.N hopes to hold another donors` conference later this year to raise money for the 2021-2024 period. The dependence on aid underscores the challenges facing the Western-backed government in Kabul, which needs economic growth to help replace foreign money and to provide jobs for the 450,000 people entering the labour market every year. Lanzer said international financial support for Afghanistan was still strong but that a ceasefire, or at least a fall in violence, would have a significant impact on improving farming, water sources and education across the country. "We would be available to work with the government in districts where the government isn`t present," he said. Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban began last year but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on U.S. military personnel in September and December. Earlier this month, another round of talks kicked off with U.S. Special Representative on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, meeting repeatedly with the Taliban`s chief negotiator.

U.N. seeks more emergency aid for Afghanistan as poverty grows