http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=14475
Dalit communities seek reservation [ 2007-3-13 ] KATHMANDU, March 12: The Dalit communities, which were deprived of education and economic opportunities on the basis of castes from the time of Vedic period, have asked for compensation for the damage they suffered. In the interaction program organized by Federation of Dalit Non-governmental Organizations, here Sunday, on 'Issues of Dalit to be Raised by Dalit Parliamentarian in Interim Parliament' the speakers demanded to make provision for reservation of 25 percent of seats in all sectors as Dalit constitutes 25 percent of total population of the country. They expressed grievance that though there are 18 Dalit parliamentarians in Legislature - Parliament they are associated with political parties and they cannot represent Dalit community in true sense. There were negligible attendances of Dalit parliamentarians in the program though it was organized to felicitate them by handing over appeal about issues of Dalit. The appeal contains issues including need of amendment in interim constitution to make provision of proportionate representation in Interim Parliament and government, to make reservation of 25 percent of seats in all sectors, proportionate representation in constituent assembly through proportionate electoral system, system of federal state governance, guarantee for the system of proportionate representation, constitutional provision to make National Dalit Commission having equal footing with National Human Rights Commission, and provision to declare 2007-2017 the Decade of Dalit's Rights and Development. Parliamentarian Anjana Bisunkhe said 95 and 77 percents of Dalit population in Terai and hill area, respectively, are deprived of rights over land and stressed that the discrimination would not be ended unless they are provided with rights over the land. In the program, chaired by the President of the Federation Bombahadur Bishwokarma, Min Biswokarma of Nepali Dalit Association, Vice President of Nepal Dalit Association Rajan Bishwokarma, Chakraman BK and Sebakram Deuman stressed that parliamentarians should raise the issues of Dalit.
