Rautahat, October 17

Chandrapur municipality-14, Najarpur, of Rautahat is a completely vegetarian village. The village is also fully literate and tobacco is banned.

As per the latest data, the village, set up about 53 years ago, has a total population of 1,000 and comprises 125 houses. It lies 7 km to the south of Chandranigahapur on the east-west highway.

Local social activist Nawaraj Pahadi claimed that not a single child in the village is out of school. “We have also banned all tobacco and tobacco products, and all villagers follow Krishna Pranami (a sect of Hindu religion that champions simple living and vegetarianism),” he said.  The village was declared fully literate about 15 years ago at the initiatives of locals.

In order to deter people from consuming tobacco products, there are a number of hoarding boards and notices in the village that caution people against the diseases caused by consuming tobacco and related products.

“Most people here are farmers, rear cows and earn a living by selling milk,” said local Krishna Pranami temple Chairperson Data Prasad Dahal, adding that the villagers also make money by selling seeds of various crops. The village has not seen any criminal activities in the last 50 years.