Dalit community has made high contribution to political change: PM Oli

KATHMANDU, March 21: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has extolled the contribution made by the Dalit community in the country’s political change.

In a message of best wishes given today on the occasion of the 53rd International Day on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, PM Oli said the contribution of the dalit community has been high in all the political struggles from the unification of the country till date.

He regretted that caste discrimination still remained in Nepal due to the traditional ill practices.

Noting that the government would set the basis in which all the communities would be able to live a dignified life in the coming days, the Prime Minister also asserted that the government was committed to the effective implementation of the provision mentioned in the very preamble of the constitution that all forms of discriminations would be ended.

“The government’s policies and programme would be made dalit-friendly for bringing the dalit community into the mainstream of national development,” he said.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws. Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

Nepal ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1971.

“Since Nepal is a state party to this Convention, it is committed to implement all the provisions of the convention,” PM Oli said, adding that the representation of the dalit community has been ensured in every organ and agency of the state in consonance with the principle of proportional inclusion.

The mandatory representation of the dalit women has been ensured at the Ward level in the local bodies and the representation of one dalit member from each province has been ensured in the National Assembly, he said, describing these provisions as an effort to bring the dalit community into the mainstream of the state. RSS