By Our Correspondent
Nepalgunj, Jan. 4: With the formation of local level under the leadership of Istiyak Ahammad Shah, the condition of Narainapur Rural Municipality, which was previously supposed to be the most backward area in Banke district, has improved significantly.
Locals said that significant progress has been made in improving the living standards of the people, in developing infrastructure and in the areas of education and health.

Now the local government has started distributing gas cylinders and stoves to 95,000 households of the rural municipality.
The rural municipality has allocated Rs. 50 million to distribute gas cylinders and stoves for 95,000 households.
The municipality has prepared a plan to distribute gas stoves and cylinders by allocating Rs. 50 million, said Shah, chairman of the rural municipality.

Distribution of gas stoves and cylinders has begun applying a digital technology with nine-point commitments, he said.
The rural municipality is distributing a cylinder with gas, a stove, two meters pipe and a gas lighter to each household.

Most of the women of the municipality have been still using firewood to cook meal. After receiving gas stove and cylinder, they have expressed their happiness that their difficult days have ended.
Sakina Khatun of Narainapur-2 said that difficulties of firewood collection for cooking meal, and the problems of smoke have ended after they received the gas stove.

She said that after using gas stove to cook meal, they were able to save time, which they could use in the studies of their children.
Most of the women who received gas stove and cylinder have expressed similar views like Khatun.
Chairman Shah informed that the gas stoves and cylinders would be distributed to all the targeted households within a month.

Contributing to environment preservation by reducing deforestation, controlling fire incidents and minimising the diseases caused by smoke are the main objectives of the gas stove and cylinder distribution programme, he said.