Karnali Province Chief Highlights Female Illiteracy, Calls for Action

Surkhet. Karnali Province Chief Yagyaraj Joshi has stated that 33 percent of women in Karnali are still not literate. Addressing the 'Karnali Daughter Conference' organized in Birendranagar on Saturday, he expressed concern over the large number of illiterate women in the province. Joshi emphasized that the governments at all three levels should pay special attention to making these 33 percent women literate. 'Women are moving forward in every field now, the daughters of Karnali have become talented,' he said, 'Now we need to make the illiterate workforce literate and even stronger.' He stated that Karnali should not be seen only as a backward region. 'This region is a mine of art, culture, and civilization,' he added, 'Karnali is the origin of more than half of the castes in Nepal, this is a land that all Nepalis should respect.' Discussing women's political and administrative access, Joshi said that women are now capable of leading by contesting direct elections, not just being limited to proportional quotas. He also mentioned that daughters from here have reached prestigious positions like secretaries in the central government. Joshi urged women to demand and pressure for 50 percent representation, not just be content with 33 percent, while the debate on constitutional amendment is ongoing. Speaking at the program, former Chief Minister of Karnali Province, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, said that there has been a big change in the presence and role of women in society. He noted that the establishment of women's leadership in the police, administration, and high state bodies holds great significance. 'In the past, daughters in Karnali did not get to study in school, the tradition was to send sons to school and daughters to graze cattle,' he said, 'But today, the number of daughters in schools is significant.' However, he stated that more effort is still needed for the empowerment of Karnali daughters. 'The state should implement programs to enhance the capability of daughters,' he said, 'In our time, the Karnali government had introduced important programs like 'Bank account for daughters, lifelong security', but now those programs are in disarray.'