• Thirty per cent of the total population in Bajura is facing food crisis

Bajura, November 13

Candidates are reaching out to voters with the common agenda promising to minimise the problems of poverty along with pledge to provide road access and quality education, among others, in Bajura.

The leaders and candidates from Nepali Congress and the left alliance have been launching election publicity campaigns in the villages and showing their strong commitment to reduce poverty, promising one-home-one-job and scientific farming system, among others.

According to statistics prepared by district health office, 40 per cent children below five years are suffering from malnutrition while 30 per cent of the total population are facing food crisis. The food grains in the district lasted for seven months only. According to UNDP, 14 per cent people die below 40 years of age due to starvation villagers are compelled to sleep on half-stomach due to poverty. It is said that youths in the district head to India for jobs.

Parliamentary candidate Kabiraj Pandit from Nepali Congress said that poverty minimisation, would solve the problems of starvation and that establishment of scientific agriculture system was the agenda of his party.

Candidate Lal Bahadur Thapa from the left alliance for parliament said that poverty would be minimised after development of professional and scientific agriculture system.

The district has been facing the problem of transportation. Vehicles cannot run on the rough road for four months. Pregnant women lose their lives as they cannot reach the health facility on time due to lack of road. Even reaching the health post and district hospital is a problem.

Both NC and UML have been making road access from the district headquarters their agenda. The candidates committed that Bajura would have light within five years. Around 60 per cent people in the district are compelled to stay in the dark. Due to lack of publicity, many historical and religious places in Bajura were unknown to people. The locals have yet to take benefits due to lack of processing centre even though the district is rich in medicinal herbs.

Kabiraj Pandit from NC and Lal Bahadur Thapa from the left alliance are contestants for the seat. Janak Raj Giri from NC and Bal Dev Regimi from left alliance will be contesting the provincial election in area Ka of the constituency.