Janjati leaders call for a separate ministry for them

KATHMANDU – While the talks to form a new party dedicated to the demands and aspirations of the indigenous nationalities and ethnic groups is on the air, the same leaders on Wednesday demanded that the government form a separate ministry for them.

CPN UML politburo member while claiming that the state cannot neglect the indigenous issue anymore, stressed on the need to transform the Indigenous Nationalities Emancipation Academy (INEA) into a ministry while speaking at the ninth meeting of the INEA governing council meeting on Wednesday.

“Now an academy is not sufficient to emancipate the indigenous nationalities. A ministry should be dedicated for them,” Subba said while claiming that the government has been spending millions of rupees in out-of-use Sanskrit language.

He claimed that the ministry was necessary to preserve and promote identity of indigenous nationalities of pluralistic culture, linguistic, religious and ethnic nation.

Inaugurating the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said consensus and collaboration among the parties was inevitable in order to give a way out to the current transition.

Blame and counter-blames among the parties since the end of the Constituent Assembly has not benefited any side, so the solution should be reached through consensus, he said.

President of NEFIN, Raj Kumar Lekhi said the indigenous nationalities are not in favour of disintegration of the country but working to maintain national harmony.

The meeting is to finalize and approve the next budget and policy and program of the Federation, aimed at uplifting the indigenous nationalities.
RSS