Pay heed to boost financial status of freed Haliya’

Kanchanpur, June 22: Local levels of the Kanchanpur district have been urged to boost the financial status of the freed Haliya.
Submitting a memorandum to the nine local levels in the district, the National Haliya Freed Society, Kanchanpur chapter demanded to bring a plan of employment programmes like income-generation, skill development and enforce them accordingly.
The Society demanded the local levels to make arrangements for the livelihood of the freed Haliya in their policies, programmes and budgets, said Society Chair CB Luhar.
The memorandum asked the local governments to approve rehabilitation procedures for education, health and employment to the formerly bonded labor. Free education along with scholarship in higher education, technical education and vocational training by determining quota for the freed Haliya and their children were essential, they reminded.
Luhar further said they had put forth the demand of guaranteeing inclusive and proportional representation of the freed Haliya community in leadership and decision-making levels in different committees as well as to forward construction of infrastructures making the master plan for the protection of the settlements.
Dalit rights activist Antaram Od explained that it was the main responsibility of local government to mainstream the backward communities like freed Haliya by empowering them through financial, social and political schemes.
Not addressing freed Haliya’s demands is against the sentiment of the constitution, he underlined, adding they should not be deprived of social, political and cultural rights.
There are 2,699 freed Haliya families in the district.