Panchthar, January 6:

Most of the schoolchildren of Prangbung VDC are compelled to skip classes for eight days a month because they have to head for Jorpokhari of Panchthar district twice a month to bring rice home.

They say they are forced to carry rice to feed themselves and their families.

“We bring items like maize and vegetables for sale and head home with rice,” says 16-year-old ninth-grader Mausami Gyangi Magar.

“The load of rice I carry home lasts for seven days,” says eighth grader Ranjit Lyaho. “We prepare food by mixing rice with maize,” seventh-grader Sanam Magar says. “We have to carry rice home round the year,” says sixth-grader Harka Magar.

Five years ago, people of Prangbung used to purchase rice from Sikkim and West Bengal. “Owing to administrative hassles, we find it difficult to cross the border these days,” locals say. “We are forced to carry loads of rice as there is nobody to bring rice home,” says Ranjit. The Prangbung depot of the Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) used to distribute rice here. The depot was closed last year on security grounds.

“We could not supply 600 quintals of rice allotted for Prangbung this year,” according to chief of the NFC at Phidim Prem Shrestha.