SURKHET : The Karnali provincial government has decided to set up a fund for the safety of the Rautes, the nomad community living in the jungles of especially the midwest and far-west of Nepal.
The fund is focused on the management of cloths, housing and nutritious food to the nomadic community. Chief Minister of Karnali Province government, Mahendra Bahadur Sahi, made the announcement while distributing food to the Raute people inDeurali of the Chinggad Rural Municipality-4 in Surkhet today. Each Raute will receive Rs 2,000 per month from the fund.
The federal government has also been providing Rs 3,000 to each Raute as social security allowance. The amount to be provided by the province government will be used for daily essential goods and housing facilities.
The Rautes are an endangered community in South Asia. There are 153 Raute people in the jungles of Karnali Province. “Raute people are the ornaments of Karnali. The provincial government is committed to protecting this endangered community,” CM Sahi said, adding that a proper mechanism will be set up to ensure livelihood to the Raute people.
Also speaking on the occasion, Minister for Social Development Dal Rawal said that the provincial government was aware that the endangered community would not need to beg for living. According to him, the art and skills of Raute people could be protected in cooperation with community forest users’ groups.
