As per the last UPR session in 2015, Nepal Government had commitment to provide rehabilitation package to all 16,953 verified freed haliyas by last fiscal year 2018/2019. Though, Government of Nepal failed to complete the rehabilitation packages to freed haliyas as per its commitment by the end of last fiscal year. Therefore, the Federal Government decided to delegate authority of freed haliya rehabilitation to respective local governments in the district on 20 May, 2019. Until now, only 12,231 freed haliyas have received rehabilitation packages and there are still 4,722 freed haliyas are left from the rehabilitation.
Nearly to the end of fiscal year 2018/2019, the Ministry of Finance released NPR 261,777,500 to respective local governments in the recommendation of Ministry of Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation without any orientation and induction to the local government officials and representatives. Therefore, most of the local government were not able to complete the rehabilitation of freed haliyas within the fiscal year so the released budget was again deposited in the central treasury.
As Ministry of Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation does not have mandate to work directly at local government level as of new federal system so the ministry was about to declare that freed haliya rehabilitation process is completed and no more freed haliya rehabilitation process will be continue for the next fiscal year.
In this context, In July 2019, the freed haliya leaders in facilitation of Rastriya Mukta Haliya Samaj Federation, the implementing partner of LWF Nepal conducted serious of advocacy and lobbying activities at federal government level. The federal government has been convinced to provide rehabilitation packaged to remaining freed Haliyas of Sudur Paschim and Karnali province and decided to rehabilitate till end of fiscal year 2019/2020.
Similarly, in the leadership of RMHSF-N and under the evidence based advocacy, civil society organizations (CSOs), leaders of political parties, member of state assembly were widely coordinated. Based on the feedback of stakeholders the Minister for Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari Aryal delivered her commitment to continue the unutilized budget by fulfilling necessary processes so as to rehabilitate the remaining freed Haliyas to be rehabilitated. She said that the Parliamentary Monitoring Committee will be formed and strengthened for the detail study and situation analysis of freed Haliyas immediately. She further said that Haliya Activists and subject experts would be coordinated during the period of timely and just rehabilitation of freed Haliyas.