Women lead development works in Amargadhi

BY PUSHKAR BHANDARI,Dadeldhura, Feb. 7: In Amargadhi Municipality, Dadeldhura district, only women are involved in development and construction works, as well as in consumer committees. Most of the men have left the village for work or education, leaving the municipality with only women. 

Due to the lack of men, most of the women have been selected for the development work allocated by the local levels and the Prime Minister's self-employment programme. According to the ward chair Khadak Bohara, out of 42 workers selected for the construction of a road section in Bhatta village in Amargadhi Municipality-7, only two are men. 

The municipality has earmarked Rs. 1 million for the road construction. Even the consumer committee has only female members including female president, he added. Saraswoti Bhandari, chairperson of Bhatta Village Road Construction Committee, informed that there were very few males in the village and those staying there was also involved in business or office. 

Women of the village do their household chores and vegetable cultivation in the morning and evening. Most of the women, who are free during day time, has been working on the construction project, she added.  Earlier, women had been involved in farming and animal rearing. But, after wild animals like boar and monkey started destroying crops, they stopped farming in the fields far away from their home. 

They even stopped animal husbandry after forest was made community forest. They were not allowed to graze cattle and collect firewood and grass from the forest, leaving women with lots of free time. Bhandari said that the women had been united in investing their free time in the construction works.  Laxmi Prasad Upadhaya, chief administrative office of the municipality, informed that most of the consumer committees of the municipality only had women and other activities were also being carried out by them.