The latest VDC in Parbat to be declared untouchability-free is Hoshrangdi, the most remote place in the district.Hoshrangdi was declared free from untouchability on Friday amid a program in the presence of Chief Distirct Officer Jhanka Natha Dhakal, lawmakers Bikash Lamsal and Kalpana Chapagain, Nepali Congress leader Khagendra Tiwari, UML leader Parbat Padam Giri, among others.
Prior to this, Majhphat, Pakhapani and Phalamkhani, where majority of residents are Dalits, were declared untouchability-free.
"We should end age-old evil practices forever," said lawmaker Bikash Lamsal. Discriminatory behavior of one person toward another is the most detestable thing in the world."
Another lawmaker Kalpana Chapagain opined that, declaring VDCs untouchability-free alone wouldn't make the society equal until there is a visible change in people's behavior.
The incidents of untouchability have been recorded from many parts of Nepal even in recent years although laws against untouchability were introduced 52 years ago by bring Muluki Ain
The problem persists even though Caste Discrimination and Untouchability (Crime and Punishment) Act, 2011 authorizes stricter punishment against people who engage in discriminatory behavior.
Locals in Parbat district have been organizing untouchability-free campaign with the support and involvement of District Development Committee (DDC) and Plan Nepal, an NGO.
"Our aim is to free all villages from untouchability," said Jeet Bahadur Nepali, an officer at Dalit Development Organization.
Related story
Dengue cases on the rise in Parbat
