DOTI, Sept 16: Sixteen years ago, when her husband who had left for India with his friends disappeared on the way, Ujali Aauji, 40, of Pipallagaun, Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality-4, had nothing in the name of property. As her husband Baji Aauji never returned, she had to shoulder the responsibility of her four little children and an old mother-in-law. She neither had a home for shelter nor did she have a single grain of food to feed her family.
However, she stayed strong and kept going. By doing labor, she managed to earn some money and bought a small piece of land in Pipalla and built a house of zinc sheets. "The house protected us neither from the scorching heat nor from the rain. It just gave us a place to cover our heads," Ujali said.
Sub-standard materials used in Public Residential Program
But it seems like her days of struggle are finally over. Under the Public Residential Program of the government, Ujali has received a grant to build a house. These days, she is busy constructing a concrete house for her. "I had never even dreamt of building this house when managing two square meals a day was a big deal for me," she said.
Likewise, Nanna Bhul, 38, a single woman of the same locality is also delighted to receive a gramt under the same program. After the death of her husband six years ago, she had been raising her two children and an old mother-in-law on her own. Finally, after struggling for years, she is excited that she will soon be free from her dilapidated leaking roof and cold floor. "During monsoon, we hardly slept due to the fear of inundation and landslide," she recalls.
The government's residential program has benefited a large number of destitute, poor and marginalized people. "Thanks to the government, we will no longer have to be homeless," said Krishna Bahadur BK of the same village. The government this time has provided housing grants to 12 poor families of this municipality. In the district, the government has been running this program in coordination with the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office (DUDBCD), Dipayal.
As informed by Jhappar Singh Bishwokarma, chief of DUDBCD, each family will receive a total amount of Rs 233,700 to build a house. "This program will not only provide the poor people with a safe shelter but will also help them with their self-confidence which will ultimately contribute to their social and economic development," he said.
This program has also helped to save the rare and indigenous tribes like Majhi, Raute, Musahars and others from extinction. These tribes don't have a single piece of land in their names.
