Govt, Badis to sign pact today

Kathmandu, October 14;

After some two months of fierce struggle and talks, the National Badi Rights Struggle Committee (NBRSC) will sign a “final deal” with the government tomorrow.

Following the signature on the pact tomorrow, the Badi communities would receive a number of benefits. The task force, consisting of five secretaries of various ministries, Badi and Dalit representatives, today submitted a number of proposals to the talks table on which the government and Badi talks teams discussed for hours.

The proposal includes Rs 60 for each Badi for one-month and transport fair to return home, besides free treatment to the injured. It suggested that a task force should be formed to study the overall status of the Badi community within three months, distribution of land should be decided as per the recommendation of the proposed high-level land commission and that Badis should be provided security-free loan through Rural Development Banks.

The proposal also stipulates that the Ministry of Labour and Transport

Management should determine certain per cent quota to the Badi community and that free legal help and different training and mobile health camps should be provided to Badis.

Citizenship should be provided as per the demands and that the government should manage free education to children up to higher education.

Convener of the Dalit Nagarik Andolan, Binod Pahadi, expressed satisfaction on the government’s response to fulfil the demands of the Badi community. “Everything is going very positively. We are going to sign the pact tomorrow afternoon with minor changes in the proposal submitted by the task force.”

“We are very much hopeful that all our demands would be fulfiled,” Uma Devi Badi, president of the NBRSC, said after holding talks today. She said Badis would continue their struggle till their demands are fulfiled.