Bagmati Province Declared 'Assistance-Seeking Road-Dependent Human-Free' Province

Makwanpur. Bagmati Province has been formally declared as an 'Assistance-Seeking Road-Dependent Human-Free' Province. In a special ceremony organized in Hetauda on Friday, Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniyan signed a commitment letter to continue the campaign by declaring the province free from assistance-seeking road dependents. With this, Bagmati has become the third province to be declared free from assistance-seeking road dependents, after Karnali and Gandaki. The campaign, operated in collaboration with the Social Development Ministry and Manavsewa Ashram, has institutionalized the efforts to rescue, protect, treat, and rehabilitate helpless citizens living difficult lives on the streets. At the declaration program, Chief Minister Baniyan stated that the declaration itself is not the final achievement, but its continuous implementation is the biggest challenge. He mentioned that the provincial government is fully committed to maintaining the province in a state free from assistance-seeking road dependents and urged local levels, social organizations, security agencies, and civil society to play an active role in the campaign. 'Just declaring is not enough. Its continuity is a shared responsibility of all. The Bagmati Province government is ready to fulfill its responsibility,' he said, 'Other stakeholders must also work with equal responsibility.' Manavsewa Ashram's Budget Increased Eightfold Chief Minister Baniyan informed that the provincial government has significantly increased the budget for Manavsewa Ashram, which has been playing an important role in the rescue and rehabilitation of assistance-seeking road-dependent individuals, for the upcoming fiscal year. While the provincial government provided 2.5 million rupees to the ashram in the current fiscal year, it has allocated 20 million rupees for the upcoming fiscal year. According to the Social Development Ministry, the budget has been increased to make the rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, and family reunification programs more effective. Similarly, the federal government has also been providing 3,000 rupees per person per month for the upkeep of each person residing in the ashram since the last fiscal year. According to the ashram, this has provided great relief in the daily management of the residents. Campaign Started from Hetauda, Now Nationwide According to Manavsewa Ashram Chairman Ramji Adhikari, the campaign that started 14 years ago from Lamsuredhap, Hetauda-9, has now expanded into a nationwide social campaign. Currently, the ashram operates branches in 34 locations across 23 districts. In Bagmati Province alone, services have been expanded to 10 districts including Makwanpur, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, and Dhading. As of Friday, 911 individuals, including 332 women and 579 men, are residing in 10 ashrams in Bagmati Province. In Hetauda, where the central office of Manavsewa Ashram is located, 250 people are taking shelter. According to Chairman Adhikari, since its establishment, Manavsewa Ashram has rescued more than 1,700 assistance-seeking individuals from various districts of Bagmati Province. Many of those rescued have been reunited with their families after treatment. He stated that more than 5,000 elderly individuals rescued from across the country have been rehabilitated within their families. 'Our objective is not just to provide shelter. It is to reunite them with their families as much as possible and return them to a life of dignity,' he said.