KATHMANDU, Nov 19: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed concern over the death of a 21-year-old woman living in a cowshed during her monthly period at Timilsina Village in Achham district. 

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) on Saturday telephoned Chief District Officer (CDO) of the district, Kushalraj Sharma, and voiced the Prime Minister's concern over the incident. 

As the news on death of Dambara Upadhyay, who lost her life few days ago while her stay in cowshed during her menstrual period under a notorious practice called 'Chaupadi', made rounds in the media, the OPMCM took stock of the incident over the phone.
 
Under the archaic practice as Chaupadi, mostly rampant in the Western and Far Western region of the country, any menstruating women are deemed impure and are ousted to the cowshed for seven days. 

According to PM's deputy personal secretary Manohari Timilsina, the OPMCM has also called a meeting among the stakeholders and asked to launch an awareness drive against the ill-tradition as Chaupadi. 

Furthermore, the Office has also instructed the authority concerned to enable environment wherein the social organizations do not squander money in the name of seminar and conference on this social issue but run campaigns that could drive change in the attitude among people towards this end. 

CDO Adhikari pledged the OPMCM that he will leave no stone unturned to curb the Chaupadi tradition, Deputy Personal Secretary to PM quoted the CDO as saying. RSS