The sixth edition of the Karnali festival 'Kuda Karnalika' has started from Monday in the provincial capital Birendranagar. During the opening of the 3-day festival, there was a debate on the prosperity of Karnali, education, women's leadership, youth empowerment, etc.
Inaugurating the celebration in the courtyard of City Hall in Birendranagar, Chief Minister Yamalal Kadel said that despite the many challenges of reform, the situation of disorganization has started for the development of Karnali. He said that the common responsibility of drawing a roadmap for prosperity has started by bringing this disorder to the highest point. "Prosperity of Karnali is possible through our honest efforts, the alternative to democracy is a more participatory and advanced democracy," he said, "for that, we need to bring radical reforms in governance and administration."
Chief Minister Kandel said that Karnali is not only a wound of sorrow but also a salve of possibilities. He claims that a negative comment has been created towards Karnali and now a campaign has been started to give hope and confidence to the citizens. "The development and prosperity of Karnali is a common mission of all of us, there is no need for anyone to be in power or opposition," he said. Former secretary Keval Prasad Bhandari said that brainstorming of ideas during the
festival has helped to increase the true identity of Karnali. "Thoughts and debates do not only create problems, they also search for solutions," he said, "Karnali is a civilization, its history is also glorious, which has given immense possibilities and opportunities." He said that Karnali is lagging behind in development due to the lack of awareness and shirking of responsibility among the people of Karnali.
Provincial Planning Commission Vice Chairman Suryanath Yogi reviewed the important steps in Karnali's development journey and said that the second periodic plan has been prepared to guide the future journey. While setting the development strategies and priorities, he fulfilled the indicators of the sustainable development goals, reducing the effects of climate change, disaster management and Special attention has been paid to social justice. According to him, this plan includes initiatives to improve digital Karnali campaign, entrepreneurship promotion, energy and infrastructure development and public service delivery.
Political analyst Ahuti said that the common belief that Karnali is considered remote, lacking and difficult is still intact. "We are still oppressed by the negative images of sickness and grief created over the years," he said, "Such negative indicators and mindsets that look at Karnali with the contempt of yesterday need to be changed now." In the first session of the
program, while debating about higher education, research and development, Vice Chancellor of Midwestern University Prof. Dr. Dhruv Kumar Gautam said that the country's economy is also connected with knowledge and skills. He said that the prosperity of the country and the future of Karnali are also connected with education. Nepal Open University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shilu Manandhar said that if the government not only increases the number of universities but also manages the infrastructure and human resources, it will be possible to produce students who can compete in the world. Vice Chancellor of Karnali Institute of Health Sciences Dr. Mangal Rawal said that Karnali's production of MBBS doctors and specialists is exemplary.
In the next session, the Secretary of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Laxmi Kumari Basnet said that although it was believed that a daughter should not go too far from home, she went to Kathmandu after overcoming various social challenges and became a branch officer and passed the joint secretary's exam. He says that Karnali's love will continue to motivate him to work wherever he goes and he is happy that women's leadership has progressed in every field recently. Activist Poona Kami shared her experience of working in Kalikot against violence against women during the armed conflict. "When the bullets started coming inside the house, we took away the guns of the state side," she said, "Women suffered a lot in the conflict, but they have not yet received justice."
Speaking to The Story Kitchen's Jaya Luintelsag on the women's movement in Karnali (Swini Swar), journalist Dilmaya Shahi complained that the state did not do as much as it should have done to give justice and empower the remote women and children. In the next session 'Baikini Bolchhin', Speaker of the Karnali Province Nanda Gurung, Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Radhika Aryal and Bhairavi Rural Municipality President Rita Shahi debated about women's leadership.
