Khotang: Women and Dalit representatives in the district have raised concerns about being excluded from the process of formulating plans and allocating budgets at the local government level. During an interaction organized by the Center for Dalit Women Nepal in Diktel Bazar of Khotang on Saturday, these representatives alleged that male counterparts held disproportionate influence in planning and budget decisions.

Diksha Rai, a female ward member from Halesi Tuwachung Municipality-7, expressed frustration that the male ward chair did not involve women members in the planning process or the allocation of funds. She questioned the reasons behind this exclusion and lack of consideration for women's perspectives.

Punya Kumari Magar, a former ward member from Rawabensi Rural Municipality-4, shared her experience of encountering discrimination against women representatives by male colleagues during her tenure. Shashikala Rai, a former ward chair from Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality-5, highlighted the need for collective efforts among women and Dalit representatives to combat such exclusion and fight for their rights within local bodies.

Shashikala Rai emphasized that unity is pivotal in strengthening the voices of women representatives against all forms of discrimination, aligning with the constitutional vision of equity, inclusion, and coexistence. Ten women and Dalit women members elected from various local levels in the district echoed similar sentiments during the program, shedding light on the challenges they face in actively participating in the affairs of local governments.

The event fell under the 'She Leads' program of the Center, aiming to assess the gaps in achieving gender equality and social inclusion in the political domain at the local level. On this occasion, leaders such as Tanka Thapa from CPN (Maoist) Centre Koshi Province Committee, Anjil Rai from Janata Samajbadi Party Youth Wing, and Shiva Kumar Bhattarai from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Khotang district chapter stressed the imperative of fully implementing the principle of proportional inclusion endorsed by the State.