A team of the District Administration Office (DAO) in Salyan had visited the Raute settlement to distribute them citizenship certificates and register them on the voter list with photographs and biometrics. But Rautes living in the forests of Salyan and Surkhet have refused citizenship for fear of losing their identity. [break]
“When we requested them to acquire citizenship, the Rautes said the citizenship certificates would make no difference in their lives,” said Chief District Officer Yagya Raj Bohara. He said the DAO officials tried their best to persuade the Rautes to register on the voter list so as to be able to cast their votes in the Constituent Assembly (CA) election, but to no avail.
DAO had sent a team to Raute settlements to distribute them citizenship certificates and register them on the voter list. But the team returned after Rautes refused the offer.
“We will send a team to the Raute settlements once again. Our main aim is to provide them citizenship and make them participate in the upcoming CA election,” said CDO Bohora.
A team comprising officials of the District Development Committee, DAO, and Raute Utthan Pratishthan (RUP) will be sent to the Raute settlements once again, he said.
No one from the Raute community has applied for citizenship so far. “They believe citizenship certificates are for landowners only. They are afraid of acquiring citizenship as they think it would tarnish their identity as a nomadic group,” said RUP Chairman Satyawoti Adhikari.
Currently, as many as 143 Rautes are residing in the forests of Salyan and Surkhet.
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