Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to strongly present the issues concerning Dalits in the United Nations (UN).

During his meeting with Dalit parliamentarians from the South Asia on Monday, the Prime Minister vowed to raise the dalit issues in the UN in an effective way.

"The dalit community has been sidelined from the economic, social and cultural mainstream of the nation since long and were also subjected to caste-based discriminations and practices of untouchability," he said, adding that he would seriously raise such issues in the UN.

The Prime Minister said the government took the problems facing the Dalits in Nepal as not only their particular problems but recognised it as a national issue while underlining the need of global efforts to ensure the rights of dalits.

Recalling that the dalit community had made notable contribution for the success of the different struggles of 1960, 1990 and 2006/07 as well as the armed struggle launched for nation-building at different periods in history, the PM said he has made maximum efforts for the equal participation of the dalit community in every state apparatus.

"Monarchy and the unitary State structure in the past had been discriminating against the dalit community. Our party waged a struggle against that and making Nepal a federal democratic republic was my dream. Now, this dream has to be made successful," he asserted.

In the meeting, the lawmakers presented to the Prime Minister the 'Declaration' adopted by the South Asian Dalit Lawmakers'

Conference organised by the Asian Dalit Rights Forum.

Parliamentarian Min Bishwakarma said that the conference concluded today by issuing a four-point Declaration which calls for sharing of experience and good practices on the situation of dalits among the different countries in Asia and fighting against the existing racial and caste-based discrimination against the dalits. RSS