KATHMANDU, July 10: Nalgad municipality has come up with a plan to transform the lives of nomadic Badi community people who have been eking out their daily lives on fishing.
The municipality's plan is focused on getting the nomadic people changed their fishing occupation and explore different alternatives for sustaining a livelihood. Tek Bahadur Rawal, mayor of Nalgad municipality, said the local government is lending support to the Badi community to make them independent by adopting entrepreneurship.
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Badi people have been residing in the makeshifts on the banks of Nalgad River in Dalli and sustaining their family livelihood on fishing. He shared that the municipality has recently imparted a month-long training to the Badi community people.
With this, the nomadic people are switching off their fishing occupation to clothes sewing and bag manufacturing. It has oriented them to the journey of independence. Local women who have been on the banks of river with hooks and nets for fishing now are busy with manufacturing clothes and bags.
Nirmala Badi, a local woman of Nalgad municipality-7, said, "We are gradually becoming aware of learning skills needed to become independent economically". She added that they were heading to a way to become independent after attending skill-based training offered by the municipality and Small and Cottage Industry Development Committee.
The municipality and the committee have provided technical training to 10 Badi households. The trained Badi women now have initiated new business undertaking.
