Lalitpur, February 12:

Dr Shankar P Sharma, vice-chairperson of the National Planning Commission, inaugurated a two-day Civil Society Forum workshop on ‘Research Programme on Social Inclusion and Nation Building in Nepal’ here today. The programme is being facilitated by the Organisation Development Centre (ODC) for Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF) Secretariat.

Speaking at the programme, Dr Sharma said that despite the remarkable progress in the living standard of Nepalis over the years — as indicated by the Nepal Living Standard Survey — this progress was yet to be reflected in the daily lives of the people of backward communities, remote regions and women.

He said the research would facilitate the people of all these groups.

Dr Keshab Shakya, coordinator of SIRF, made a presentation on ‘Research Programme on Social Inclusion and Nation Building in Nepal’.

He said the fund was aimed at making social science research more relevant for the excluded and disadvantaged groups.

“The research programme will support the research on material poverty, social deprivation and political exclusion,” Dr Shakya added.

He said the SIRF would also address the problem of inequality in the research practices themselves by including into these researches many social and cultural groups of Nepal.

Dr Harka B Gurung made a presentation on ‘Aspects of Social Inclusion and Nation Building in Nepal’, which were followed by Dr Sumitra Manandhar Gurung’s presentation on ‘Janjati’s Issues on various aspects of Social Inclusion and Nation Building’, Man Bahadur Biswokarma presentation’s on ‘Dalit’s issue on various aspects of Social Inclusion and Nation Building’ and Dr Chandra Bhadra’s presentation on ‘Women’s issues on various aspects of Social Inclusion and Nation Building’.

The SIRF fund was established in 2005 with the joint effort of the Nepal government and the Norwegian Embassy and its management was placed under the SNV-Nepal.

The Social Inclusion Research Fund was aimed at addressing the problems and challenges identified in an assessment report titled ‘Social Exclusion and National Building- Assessment of prospects for enhancing the role of research and research institutions in Nepal’.