Karnali province government and Badi community ink five-point pact

The Karnali province government and the Badi community people – who have been demanding land and shelter for the past two weeks – inked a five-point memorandum of understanding. 

Since 22 February, the Badi community people have been staging sit-in before the Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers with the demand of cultivable land and shelter. 

The memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed by Secretary of Karnali Province Ministry of Land Management and Cooperatives, Rajendra Mishra and Hikmat Badi on behalf of Badi Struggle Committee. 

As stated in the MoU, the Province government would request to the government of Nepal to provide land to the Badi community with its cabinet decision and also carry out necessary coordination to that end. 

According to the agreement, the province government would form a three-member task force within two months to prepare and submit an objective report for the uplift and development of Badi community and allow the community to operate additional programme in the current fiscal year under its clothe, food and shelter support programme. 

The province government has also agreed to include programme related to education, health, employment, art and culture, skill-based training and income generation in the upcoming year's policy and programme for the development of Badi community people. 

Likewise, Badi struggle committee would withdraw its all programme of protest. The two sides also reached an understanding to arrange a revolving fund and provide loan up to one million rupees with subsidized interest rates.