KATHMANDU, Aug 15: The National Dalit Commission’s fourth annual report, presented to the Federal Parliament on Thursday, shows that the literacy rate among Nepal’s Dalit population stands at 67.2 percent—well below the national average of 76.2 percent.
Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, on behalf of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, tabled the report in the House of Representatives.
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According to the 2021 national census, Nepal’s Dalit population is 3,898,990, accounting for 13.4 percent of the total population of 29,164,578. Karnali Province recorded the lowest Dalit literacy rate at just 49.1 percent, while other provinces fared better: Sudurpaschim – 72.3 percent, Lumbini – 73.3 percent, Gandaki – 70.0 percent, Bagmati – 72.4 percent, Madhesh – 77.9 percent, and Koshi – 76.4 percent.
The report also noted that the commission has made policy, legal, and programmatic recommendations to federal, provincial, and local governments to safeguard Dalit rights, but their implementation has been largely unsatisfactory.
