Amid stark criticism from several quarters of the federal and provincial governments for failing to execute its commitments, 11 local level governments from Khotang to Kalikot have done exemplary work to prove that ‘local governments are more efficient and competent during crises’.
Shiva Hari Ghimire: Centre for In Investigative Journalism-Nepal
Money for the deprived
The coronavirus pandemic and prolonged lockdown acted as a trigger for a number of anxieties that Rajesh Biswokarma was undergoing. A resident of Naraharinath rural municipality-2 of Kotbada, Kalikot, he is one of those victims of the neverending lockdown fighting his own battle.
A health volunteer home delivering medicines to chronically ill patients. Photo: Binod Lama
A carpenter by profession in Banke’s Nepalgunj, he lost his job–left to live without income for the last two and a half months due to lockdown.
Bishwokarma was in a real pressure to come out of this period, to come back home as he was broke. One fine morning, to his utter surprise, he received a call from a staff at the Naraharinath Rural Municipality asking for his bank account details.
“The news came to me like a dove. With the deposited amount of Rs 2,500, we (along with my friends) reserved a vehicle and came back home”, says an elated Bishwokarma.
Rajesh is one of those hundreds of fortunate ones to receive financial support from Naraharinath Rural Municipality.
The rural municipality showed generosity by depositing the said amount in the bank account of the daily-wage workers, poor people and students of the rural municipality stranded due to the lockdown in various parts of the country. Thankfully, people without bank accounts received the amount through other channels.
According to rural municipality Chief Dhir Bahadur Bista, as many as 64 people in a desperate condition received a relief amount of Rs 2,500 each during the lockdown period.
“We are currently gathering information and data of people of this municipality (currently living outside) to send the relief amount to them,” Bista says adding, “Out of the total population of 25,000 in this rural municipality, more than 5,000 people live elsewhere. A total of Rs 700,000 have been earmarked as relief money for those people.”
Free medicines to people living with chronic illness
A nationwide sudden lockdown from March 24 affected people’s normal life as they did not get ample time to buy food essentials and medicines. People, particularly, living with chronic illnesses were experiencing heightened anxiety given the lack of medicines. Helambu Rural Municipality of Sindhupalchowk district, however, made those essential medicines available at the patients doorsteps free of cost.
Saroj Singh Rayamajhi of Helambu-2,who has been living with chronic illness, is one of the beneficiaries of the facility since, according to him, he was struggling to get medicines as movement was restricted. So much so that the second week of April passed without taking a single tablet as he had already run out of medicines. Naturally, this troubled him. Tired of trying to get medicines from other sources, he communicated with the rural municipality, and to his surprise, he received a parcel of medicines on April 19 at his doorsteps.
Rayamajhi says, “I was worried about my health. Fortunately, the rural municipality sent me medicines that would be sufficient for another two months, and that, too, for free’, delightfully.
Rayamajhi is one among those 350 beneficiaries to receive medicines free of cost from the rural municipality. Chief of the Helambu Rural Municipality, Gyalzen Sherpa says, “We collected data of the patients living with chronic illness by mobilizing doctors in the rural municipality and home delivered the respective medicines. We have purchased medicines that will be sufficient for three months beginning April 19.”
Bhakta Rai, a diabetic patient, of Aiselukharka-2 in Khotang was stressed about not being able to get medicines due to lockdown. Three days without medicines was bothering him. Amid his heightened trouble, he received a packet of medicines on his doorsteps on the fourth day. “I was worried about the unavailability of the medicines rather than the coronavirus. And to my pleasant surprise, I received the medicines right at my door.”
People living with chronic illness in Diprung, Chuichumma, Aiselukharka and Barhapokhari have similar stories. According to Bhupendra Rai, chairperson of the rural municipality, they provided medicines to more than 600 people during the lockdown period by bringing medicines from Kathmandu.
Foodbank to prevent starvation
A document detailing relief amount sent to Narharinath Rural Municipality, Kalikot. Photo: Dheerbahadur Bista
Dhading’s Sita Ram Mijar, a daily wage worker, was the sole breadwinner of his family of seven. Lockdown, for him, was more than a stumbling block to his hard work, yet smooth income. Getting to know about the establishment of a food bank by the rural municipality, Mijar along with some other villagers, reached the municipality office to register his name on April 14. “The other day we received one sack of rice, lentils, oil, among others on our doorsteps, or else we would have starved,” Mijar says.
Similarly, Gajuri’s Suntali Mijar reached the office of the rural municipality on the same day along with her toddler. She was under immense pressure to feed herself and her baby as her husband–a migrant worker–was not able to send her money owing to lockdown.
Fortunately, rice, lentils and oil were home delivered to her the next day Mijar registered her name at the rural municipality. “Before the lockdown, I was working on a daily wage basis. My earnings sufficed the necessities. I was, in fact, hopeless. However, the relief package that I received from the rural municipality came to me like sunlight,” she said.
Gajuri Rural Municipality in Dhading has been running a ‘food-bank’ at the office of the rural municipality since April 2 to ensure that daily-wage workers and the poor people do not die of hunger. They have been distributing rice, lentils, sugar, oil, and salt, among other essentials, particularly for the deprived people of the rural municipality.
Deputy Mayor of the rural municipality, Sita Dhungana says the rural municipality has purchased foodstuff worth Rs 2.1 million and has distributed them to 2,541 households in the area so far. “We distribute relief materials on the basis of the number of family members. We have provided 40-kilo rice, 2 liters oil, 5 kilos lentils to each family of 10 members thinking that the relief would be sufficient for 15 days,” she said adding, “We distribute the relief materials to the poor and the needy.”
Library and WiFi in quarantine
A permanent resident of Balkot in Arghakhanchi, Kamal Pokhrel, and a returnee from India, was in a Catch-22 situation thinking that his stay in the Chhatradev-based quarantine would be something not less than a nightmare after he returned to Nepal on May 4. But his worry vanished soon after he came to know that the quarantine had WiFi and a library, too.
“Despite being in quarantine, I am fortunate to enjoy the facilities such as a library and WiFi because of which our days are passing pleasantly,” he said.
Consider what Lekhnath Pokhrel, Chief of the rural municipality has to say: “Despite not being well equipped with resources and human resources, we are trying our level best to provide relief materials to the people at this time of crisis. Thankfully enough, we haven’t heard a single complaint from the people staying in the quarantine facility.”
A total of 300 India-returnees Nepali nationals are staying at the Chhatradev rural municipality-based quarantine till June 5.
Free bus service
Gopal Shahi of Khadachakra municipality-4 of Kalikot was involved in floriculture in Kamalbinayak of Bhaktapur. Amid lockdown, he, accompanied by his parents and wife, walked all the way from Bhaktapur to Jadibuti Chowk on May 4 to avail free bus service arranged by the Khadachakra Municipality to reach their home district Kalikot. “Rendered jobless after the imposition of the lockdown, we decided to go home by the bus arranged by the municipality.”
Sita Dhungana, vice chair of Gajuri Municipality with Suntali Chepang and Sunita Chepang who had come to receive food essentials. Photo: Gajuri Municipality, Dhading.
According to Mayor Jasi Prasad Pandey, the municipality arranged a total of 15 buses to rescue the stranded people of his municipality. “We evacuated our people from different places on time to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” he boasts.
Rescuing those stranded at the border
Shalikram Ghimire of Dhikura, Arghakhanchi, who came all the way from New Delhi on May 21 after the Indian government imposed lockdown in India, was stranded at the Nepal-India border in Krishnanagar for three days.
He, along with several others, was rescued by a bus with the joint initiative of the Shitganga Municipality and Bhumisthan Rural Municipality of Arghakhanchi. “Being cooped-up inside the room in New Delhi without work and money was torturous. Almost bankrupt, I decided to come back. I came to Krishnanagar by bus from where I was rescued,” says Ghimire.
If the data made available by the Shantinagar Municipality is to be considered, it has rescued as many as 923 people stranded in Krishnanagar from May 18 to June 5. Likewise, the Bhumikasthan Rural Municipality rescued 823 within the same period. According to Surya Adhikari, Mayor of Shitganga Municipality, all those who have been rescued from the border are required to stay in quarantine for 22 days and must test mandatorily before going back to their homes.
Mayor Adhikari said his municipality spent over Rs 5 lakh 75 thousand to rescue stranded people from the border.
Relief efforts in Dailekh
The majority of people in Dalit Basti (village) with 45 households in Katari Municipality-9 of Udaypur, including Santaman Sarki, work as daily-wage laborers.
Santaman’s family of six underwent hard times due to the imposition of lockdown. However, a small effort of the Katari Municipality brought smiles on the faces of Dalitbasti residents. The municipality distributed 49-kilo rice, 5 kilos lentils, two packets of salt, and oil to each family–all right at their doorsteps. Says Sarki, “The support that we received from the municipality during the hour of crisis cannot be explained in words. We are overwhelmed.”
Likewise, the Katari Municipality distributed relief materials, including foodstuff to the deprived people of Musahar village in ward 3 and 4, Tintalay and Sukumbasi village in ward 5, and Bhanjyang village in ward 6, among other areas of the municipality.
Mayor Gyanendra Shrestha said they distributed 50 quintals of rice, 800 kilos lentils, 300 liters oil, and 200 kilos salt from April 15 to June 5. “We have spent Rs 1.2 million for relief support,” he said.
Federation of Municipality Association of Nepal, Ashok Benju asserts that all local levels have done exemplary work during the coronavirus pandemic. Says Benju, “People would have faced problems in the absence of local levels.”
