RSS NEWS EFFECT: Bote community in Lamjung gets Dashain assistance

Kathmandu - The Lamjung Chamber of Commerce and Industry has provided relief materials to Bote community of Madhya Nepal Municipality-4 in the district. This humanitarian act has taken place as an effect of the news report with the headline of 'Bote settlement untouched by Dashain festival' carried by Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) recently. Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Sharma, on behalf of the CCI, Lamjung distributed the relief materials to the community amid a function here. The distributed relief materials included 15 kg of rice, two kg of pulse, a litre of cooking oil, a packet of iodised salt and a packet of soybean to each family. "We were not aware of the families reeling in poverty.

We knew their predicaments only after reading the news. Thereafter we requested the CCI to provide relief materials to the families," CDO Sharma said, adding the help meant a lot to the families during Dashain festival. The elated Bote community extended thanks to RSS and the district administration office for the help.

"With this help, we restored our happiness. Earlier, paucity plagued us on the eve of Dashain festival," said a beneficiary. The community relies on daily wages for survival. However, nationwide lockdown due to global COVID-19 pandemic has affected them.

"As a result, we are rendered moneyless to buy essentials during Dashain," said Sita Kumari Bote, another beneficiary. "Although we have got some relief materials, we still need to take loan to purchase meat for Dashain celebration," said Jhanka Bahadur Bote, Chairperson of the Bote community. The village has 30 Bote families. Their traditional occupation is to operate boat in local Madi River and fishing, but the fishes have disappeared due to various reasons of late.

Therefore, they have to depend on agriculture for survival, said Chairperson Bote. The indigenous community lacks basic education, health, sanitation and employment.