Kathmandu, June 4: President Ramchandra Paudel has called for standing firmly against caste-based untouchability and discrimination.
The President stated this in his
message of best wishes on the occasion of the National Day on the Abolition of
Caste Discrimination and Untouchability today.
On this occasion, the President has
wished happiness, peace, and prosperity to all Nepali sisters and brothers
residing in the country and abroad, stating that caste-based discrimination is
a crime against social, moral, and human dignity.
In the message, he emphasized the
need to strengthen national unity with equality by fostering mutual
understanding, harmony, and cooperation among all castes and communities to
promote social awakening and the development of equality, while firmly standing
against caste discrimination and division to make the democratic state system
meaningful.
The Head of the State has called on
every individual, family, society, government bodies at all three levels,
political parties, national and international non-governmental organizations,
civil society, and journalists to be more sensitive against untouchability and
racial discrimination.
Reminding of the constitutional
provisions ensuring the building of society based on social equality and
justice, he has stated that may the National Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination and Untouchability inspire the relevant bodies to create a
significant basis for the gradual end of all forms of discrimination and
oppression based on economic, social, political, cultural, and ethnic
grounds.
The President expressed that
positive changes can be brought about in thinking, working style, customs, and
social practices, as well as in behavior, by enhancing mutual unity, reconciliation,
and harmony, to reduce the existing racial discrimination and untouchability in
social behavior.
President Paudel has expressed his
best wishes in the message for everyone to be inspired to build a cultured and
equality-based prosperous nation free from racial discrimination and
untouchability on the occasion of the National Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination and Untouchability.
The National Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Untouchability is marked on the 21st
of the Nepali month of Jeth every year to commemorate the day when the
government declared the country a 'caste discrimination-free nation' on Jeth
21, 2063 BS (June 4, 2006). (RSS)