Kathmandu: The government has initiated a comprehensive process aimed at identifying and managing landless Dalits and other unsystematic settlers, focusing on collecting and organizing their details to address landlessness in the country.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Damodar Wagle, the Assistant Spokesperson for the Ministry of Land, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, stated that the Ministry is actively coordinating with local governments nationwide to compile records of these groups. The data collection will be streamlined through a one-door system to ensure efficiency and avoid duplication. Local governments have been directed to adhere to specific standards when recommending individuals for the program, emphasizing the State’s responsibility in managing landless squatters with a focus on prioritizing Dalit landless.
Although the term ‘squatters’ is commonly used to describe both landless squatters and unsystematic settlers, Wagle clarified their legal distinctions. Landless individuals are those who do not own land anywhere in the country and are unable to acquire it through their resources or efforts, including their dependents. In contrast, unmanaged settlers are families who possess land elsewhere but have been residing for long periods on unregistered land.
Wagle further explained that the government plans to assess the land occupied by unmanaged settlers and will issue land-ownership certificates upon the payment of required fees. Regularizing these long-term settlements is expected to generate significant revenue. However, the management process will exclude any settlements established by encroaching on forests or public land.