- Thursday, 19 June 2025
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 Elimination 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).
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Vice President’s message on National Day on Elimination of Caste Discrimination
Kathmandu, June 4: Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav has stressed on the need for effective implementation of laws enacted to eliminate caste discrimination and untouchability, along with the necessity for social and cultural transformation.
“Since caste discrimination and untouchability are major issues that create obstacles to the development of society and the nation, it is essential for everyone to take initiative to eliminate them through constitutional and legal arrangements, social awareness, and active citizen participation,” Vice President Yadav said in his message of best wishes today on the occasion of the National Day on the Elimination of Caste Discrimination and Untouchability.
The Vice President emphasized that every citizen’s role is extremely important in the elimination of caste discrimination and untouchability, stating that it is the duty, responsibility, and role of each citizen to oppose discriminatory thinking, raise their voices for building an inclusive society based on equality and justice, and to assist in the effective implementation of laws against untouchability.
“For this, education and awareness, positive initiatives, equal opportunities, and the active engagement of civil society are essential. Promotion of education on racial equality at the school and community level, and the implementation of inclusive policies from both the public and private sectors are equally necessary,” Vice President Yadav stated in his message of best wishes, stressing on ensuring the participation of marginalized groups in policy-making and government services and the need of social institutions and campaigns to actively work towards the elimination of caste discrimination and untouchability.
He reminded that only equality, respect, and inclusion can further strengthen, empower, and advance Nepal’s federal democratic republican governance system.
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National Day on Elimination of Caste Discrimination: Speaker’s and NA Chair’s message
Kathmandu, June 4: Speaker Devaraj Ghimire has emphasized on the need for all citizens, the government, political parties, civil society, journalists, educational institutions, and stakeholders to unite in the campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability by strengthening the spirit of social harmony, equality and coexistence.
On the occasion of the National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Untouchability, 2082BS today, he expressed his best wishes, stating that racial discrimination or untouchability is not just a problem of a particular class but a shared challenge for the entire society, nation, and human civilization.
He mentioned that it is necessary today for everyone to raise their voice in favour of equality from their respective places to contribute to building a prosperous nation based on equality.
Similarly, Chairperson of the National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal, has expressed the view that all structures of the state, political leadership, civil society, and the general public must initiate efforts to eliminate the caste discrimination and untouchability practices, which have remained as a social stigma in the history of humankind.
“The numerous historical struggles, people’s movements, and social as well as cultural movements undertaken by the Nepali people have led to many legal provisions to abolish racial discrimination and the practice of untouchability, but the traditional mindset, illiteracy, customs, and discrimination in the name of religion have not been completely eradicated from society,” he opined.
He wishe that may the National Day for the Elimination of Caste Discrimination and Untouchability inspires everyone to build a civilized, advanced, and prosperous nation free from discrimination and untouchability.
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Weather: Possibility of heavy rainfall in some places of Koshi province today
Kathmandu, June 4: The western and central parts of the country are under the influence of the Westerly and local winds at present, while most parts of the Koshi province are experiencing the influence of monsoon winds, the Meteorological Forecasting Division said.
The weather will be partly to generally cloudy across the country this afternoon with chances of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in some places of Koshi, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpashchim provinces, as well as at one or two places in the remaining provinces.
There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two places in the Koshi Province and of light rainfall and snowfall at some places of the high hilly and mountainous region of the country.
Similarly, tonight the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of the country including Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces, while it will be fair in the rest of the country.
Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur in some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces, as well as in one or two places of the hilly regions of the remaining provinces.
There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two places of Koshi and Madhes provinces. Similarly, there are chances of light rain and snowfall in some areas of the high hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces tonight.
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International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression being observed today
Kathmandu, June 4: The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is being observed today.
The United Nations General Assembly, during a special emergency session on Palestine on August 19, 1982, decided to commemorate this day, in shocked reaction to the then violence against Palestinian and Lebanese children caused by Israel’s attack.
The purpose of this day is to address the physical, mental, and emotional suffering that children around the world endure and to ensure their protection.
The United Nations has shown commitment to protecting the rights of children in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Even today, many children around the world are affected by conflict, extremist violence, exploitation and impunity.
The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030, adopted in 2015, has set clear goals for the protection of children. It includes a plan under Goal 16.2 to end all forms of violence, take strong action against exploitation, neglect, and abuse.
The United Nations has stated that ending and preventing grave violations against children is central to the mandate on children and armed conflict. The most effective way to protect children from hostilities is to eliminate the push and pull factors that lead to their involvement in armed conflict.
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PM Oli for fostering empathy, equality for complete abolition of caste discrimination
Kathmandu, June 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stressed the need of eradicating caste based discrimination and untouchability by fostering empathy and equality.
In his message of best wishes via social media on the occasion of the National Day for the Elimination of Caste Discrimination and Untouchability, Prime Minister Oli said that we should develop society in which persons are evaluated not by their caste, surname, or birth, but by their action, thought and contribution.
“Mothers do not give birth to castes, they give birth to newborn humans. Once a newborn baby starts to walk, society begins to ask about his/her caste and lineage. There is no caste above humanity. Everyone’s blood is of the same color. Tears flow with the same pain for everyone. We need to create a society where we are evaluated not by caste, lineage, or birth, but by our actions, thoughts, and contributions,” PM Oli stated in his message.
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‘All three levels of government should be active to end caste discrimination’
Kathmandu, June 4: The Chairman of the National Dalit Commission, Devraj Bishokarma has emphasized that all the three tiers of government must actively implement the resolutions and declarations made by the state to eradicate caste-based discrimination and untouchability.
In a message of best wishes today on the occasion of the National Day for the Elimination of Caste Discrimination and Untouchability, he stated that the new constitution has been issued with the resolve to end all forms of inequality, oppression, discrimination, and the discrepancies present in Nepali society.
Chairman Bishokarma also stated that there should be effective implementation of all the provisions made by the constitution to end caste discrimination.
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Formation of inclusive constitution is historic achievement: Maoist Centre Chair Dahal
Kathmandu, June 4: CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that ensuring participation, empowerment, representation, and inclusion in all state bodies according to the proportional inclusive principle, as mentioned in the constitution, is a historical achievement.
He said so in a congratulatory message today on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the declaration of Nepal as a caste discrimination-free nation.
The Maoist Centre Chair stated that on the 21st of Jestha 2063 BS, the reinstated parliament declared the country as a caste-based discrimination-free nation, against the reality that the feudal state system based on hereditary division had institutionalized the protection of untouchability, discrimination, and oppression.
Stating that the constitution categorizes untouchability and discriminatory practices as serious social crimes, Chairman Dahal mentioned in his congratulatory message, “Special initiatives, policies, and programmes are necessary for the fitting upliftment of the Dalit community.”
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