Nepal: Ethnic Minorities demand Land

Translated from Kantipur National daily news article http://www.ekantipur.com/kantipur/news/news-detail.php?news_id=232330

Kathmandu, 12 Dec

Endangered (indigenous) nationalities have demanded for land from the government for their living. Twenty five representatives of ten identified endangered nationalities met with Minister for Local Development Purna Kumar Sherma and put such demands on Sunday.

The representatives have stated their problems to the Minister after their visit to various districts organized by the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) under the Ministry. The endangered ethnic groups are Raji, Kusunda, Raute, Kushbadiya, Bankariya, Suri, Kisan, Meche, Lepcha and Hayu. Their representatives were taken on a tour of five districts of Nepal – Illam, Jhapa, Dhankuta, Chitwan and Pokhara.

The representatives’ team was informed about settlement areas of various nationalities and agricultural production favorable to those places, conservation of tradition and development through cooperatives, according to an NFDIN officer Diwas Rai. Among the ethnic groups on the tour, Raji and Kusunda are among, landless ethnic groups of Nepal.

“If the government provides land, we are also ready to set up similar cooperatives”, Chitra Bahardur Raji told the Minister in the capital after the tour, “Please understand the problems we have endured and lived through and convey them to the government.” The government has provided land for permanent settlements for Raute ethnic group in the eastern district of Dadeldhura in 1980. There are currently 42 Raute households in Dadeldhura whereas the Rautes in the western district of Surkhet did not want permanent settlement areas and are living their traditional nomadic life, as told by NFDIN Vice President Jitpal Kirat.

The team also visited Agriculture Research Center in Lalitpur on Sunday. In the following meetings at the NFDIN and the Ministry, they had stated their problems – they have also called for addressing ethnic identity in the new constitution and special privileges in education and health, among other issues.