Kathmandu, January 21:

The fourth meeting of the fifth working committee of federal council of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) has called on the government to conduct a detailed survey of indigenous nationalities of Nepal.

“We had called on the National Foundation for the Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) to conduct a detailed survey of the indigenous people, but to no avail,” said Dr Om Gurung, general secretary of the NEFIN.

The decision to call the NEFIN to conduct the survey was made as many indigenous nationalities had complained they were not included in the indigenous nationalities list.

The meet demanded that a team comprising anthropologists, sociologists and linguists and

led by NEFIN conduct the survey.

“Due to the faulty classification of the highly marginalised communities as marginalised, they have not been able to receive government largesse,” states the decision.

The meeting has also decided to provide memberships to Kuswadiya, Bahragaunle, Dhanuk and Lhopa and recognise eight district NEFIN coordination panels of Lamjung, Dhanusha, Mustang, Sindhuli, Siraha, Dailekh, Sarlahi and Pyuthan as NEFIN affiliates. However, the meeting decided not to provide affiliation to the committees within the valley, saying the central office can cover all their activities. A six-member probe committee, headed by Dr Om Gurung, was formed to probe the Nagarkot massacre.

Now on, the president of the NEFIN will chair the management committee of the Janajati Empowerment Project, the meeting decided.

The meeting also decided to urge the government to declare captain Lakhan Thapa Magar (Second) Nepal’s first martyr.