PM Dahal vows to promote identity, representation of indigenous communities

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to further protect and promote the knowledge and skills of indigenous nationalities, utilising them to enhance national income.

In his address to a program organised on the third anniversary of the Indigenous Nationalities Commission here today, the Prime Minister assured that the government would exert maximum efforts to inscribe the cultural heritages of indigenous nationalities in UNESCO and implement the Indigenous and Tribal People’s Convention.

Acknowledging the resource constraints faced by the Commission and a delay in establishing provincial offices as demanded by the relevant Act, the Prime Minister promised necessary initiatives to address the absence of proportional representation of indigenous nationalities in decision-making levels.

The formation of the Commission was a result of the struggles and sacrifices made by the indigenous community against the prolonged suppression and discrimination by the then State authority, the Prime Minister said, recognizing that such achievements were hard-won. He also praised the Commission’s role in building an inclusive and just Nepal.

The establishment of the Commission aimed to promote the identity and representation of the indigenous population in the state apparatus, utilising their skills and experiences to contribute to the development of a prosperous Nepal, he added.