The government has the objective of presenting and passing the Dalit Uplift Bill in the forthcoming 22nd session of Parliament. The ministry of local development has already prepared the draft of the Dalit Uplift Bill and handed over the responsibility of refining the Bill to the National Dalit Commission by holding extensive discussion on the Bill.

Minister of state for local development Duryodhan Singh Chaudhari provided this information at a one-day seminar on the need of the Bill for the uplift of the Dalit community organised by the Social Justice Committee of the National Assembly and United Nations Development Programme here on Tuesday.

Singh said that the draft Bill incorporates provisions for education, employment, income generation and social justice for the development of the Dalit community. Inaugurating the seminar chairman of the National Assembly Dr Mohammad Moshin expressed the view that sustainable development of democracy was not possible until the Dalit community is empowered and reach the decision making level.

Chief whip of the CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikari stressed the need to provide the Dalits, ethnic tribes and women equal rights. Stressing the need to reserve seats for jobs, education, health and policy-making level for the Dalit community, Adhikari said that people devoted to untouchability should be punished.

Chairman of the House of Representatives development committee Tanka Prasad Rai and MP Bijul Kumar Biswokarma said that the state should make efforts to bring all the ethnic communities into the national mainstream.

The political parties should not use the Dalits and ethnic communities to win elections only, they said, adding that the political parties should provide programmes for the uplift the Dalits and ethnic tribes.

The inaugural function was chaired by chairman of the social justice committee Ambika Chapagain. Associate lecturer Basanta Kumar Biswokarma presented a working paper at the seminar.

In the working paper, Biswokarma has stressed on social transformation, eradication of social evils, resettlement, awareness, technical education, employment, skill development curriculum, poverty alleviation programme and political, administrative, constitutional and judicial reforms for the uplift of the Dalit community.