With the objective to uplift the economic status of the indigenous communities—Majhi, Danuwar and Gandharva—and to help preserve their ethnic tradition and culture, the Bagmati provincial government is constructing integrated settlements in three different districts. The model settlements will carry and highlight the communities’ cultural identities.

The provincial government has allocated Rs 45 million budget to construct the settlements. The government also aims to promote agriculture tourism in the proposed settlements by carrying out collective organic farming and running homestays.

Under the programme, the identified local units will receive Rs 15 million each to construct a model settlement through Agriculture Development Directorate under the provincial Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives. The budget will be released in two tranches.

The integrated settlement for Danuwar community will be constructed for 40 households in Dudhauli Municipality Ward No. 2 of Sindhuli district while the model Majhi settlement is proposed to be built in Khadadebi Rural Municipality Ward No. 3 in Ramechhap district. There are 42 Majhi households in the settlement. The integrated Gandharva settlement will be set up for 50 families in Madi Municipality Ward No. 8 in Chitwan district.

Separate agreement papers were signed by Rabindra Pradhan, the chief at the directorate, and the chief of the respective local units amidst a function on Tuesday. JN Thapaliya, the political advisor of Chief Minister Dormani Paudel, was present at the function.

According to the working guidelines issued by the ministry, the local bodies will be responsible for the construction of the integrated settlements. The ministry will provide 50 percent of the total budget, while the remaining 50 percent will be contributed by the local unit and the beneficiaries. The guidelines clearly state that the houses built in the integrated settlements should be “traditional” in design with architecture depicting the identities of that particular community.

“We will soon begin the construction work of the model Danuwar settlement. The houses will be built in the traditional style of the Danuwar community,” said Ghanashyam Raut, mayor of Dudhauli Municipality. “The construction will be completed in three months.”