Kathmandu, April 4:

The marginalised Chepang community today demanded that they be guaranteed social, cultural, economical and political participation in the new Nepal.

Addressing a round table conference organised by the Nepal Chepang Association, representatives of the community demanded that Gorkha, Dhading, Makawanpur and Chitwan be declared an autonomous region where they could have free access to the natural resources. “The government should grant the Chepangs the right to natural resources otherwise their identity may vanish,” said Prithvi Subba Gurung, the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.