National
Local unit helps Dalit families in Manang to construct houses
Naso Rural Municipality in Manang district has taken constructive steps to help impoverished Dalit families build houses.Aash Gurung
Naso Rural Municipality in Manang district has taken constructive steps to help impoverished Dalit families build houses.
According to Chandra Ghale, chairman of the rural municipality, the rural municipal office has helped impoverished Dalit people build safer homes. He said, “The rural municipality has allocated Rs 2 million for the programme. And the council meeting endorsed a working guideline to conduct the housing programme for impoverished Dalit families.”
Officials said that they are helping people construct quake-resilient houses in accordance with the design prepared by the technical team of the rural municipality. Among 11 Dalit families, who registered to receive housing aid, only six households, who were living in miserable conditions, have been included in the housing aid list this fiscal year.
Suman Adhikari, chief executive officer of the rural municipality, said that the rural municipality already provided Rs350,000 to each of the five Dalit households and Rs 175,000 to one Dalit family to construct their houses. The rural municipality has been providing the housing aid in two instalments.
The housing aid was provided to Dalit households on the recommendations of the technicians of the rural municipality and ward committee. According to Adhikari, it’s the responsibility of the local government to manage safer homes for impoverished people. Man Bahadur BK, a native of Ghelanchok in Naso Rural Municipality-4, who received the housing aid, said that he has been constructing his house with the help of the rural municipality. He said, “I am displaced landless man. I have been so far living in houses on land plots provided by others. This initiative by the municipality has given me the chance to build my own house on my own land.”