Women, Children, Gender and Social Minorities and Social Security Minister Sita Badi met members of the Raute community in Namra, in Banagad Kupinde Municipality of Salyan, on Thursday, holding direct talks about their needs and requests for government support. The community asked the government to help ensure food, safe housing and arrangements for livelihoods. Badi pledged to address their demands, while community members presented her with traditional utensils as a gift.
Raute community raises key needs
During the meeting, the Raute community put forward three main concerns: access to food, secure and safe housing, and livelihood arrangements. The requests were made directly to Badi, giving community members an opportunity to share their demands with a minister responsible for women, children, gender and social minorities, and social security.
The demands point to the practical support the community is seeking from the government. Food, housing and livelihoods were raised together, rather than as separate matters, in the discussion. The community asked for arrangements that would address immediate needs as well as support the means by which its members can sustain themselves.
The meeting was held in Namra, where the Raute community is living. Banagad Kupinde Municipality is in Salyan district. The location gave Badi the opportunity to meet community members where they are, rather than limiting the discussion to a formal exchange away from the area.
Badi pledges to address demands
Badi told the community she would work to address the demands raised during the talks. Her pledge followed the requests for food, safe housing and livelihood support. The reported account of the meeting did not set out a specific programme, delivery schedule or individual measures for meeting those needs, but the minister’s assurance indicated that the concerns had been heard.
The direct discussion placed the community’s requests before a government minister and allowed them to be stated in person. The issues raised concern essential support and the conditions needed for daily life. The community’s request for safe housing, alongside food and livelihood arrangements, also made clear that its expectations involved more than one form of assistance.
Traditional utensils presented as a gift
At the meeting, members of the Raute community gave Badi traditional utensils. The presentation accompanied the discussion and served as a gift from the community to the visiting minister. The exchange was a notable part of the encounter, which centred on the community’s requests and the government’s response.
The visit brought the minister and the community together for direct talks in Salyan. The main outcome reported was Badi’s pledge to address the demands, while the community’s requests remained focused on food, safe housing and livelihood arrangements. The meeting placed those concerns at the centre of the conversation between the community and the government representative.
