By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 11: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that service of children is also a service to the society and the nation. Stating that the Constitution of Nepal was in favour of the children, he added, “Children are not only the helmsmen of the future but are also entitled to the present.”
He expressed this view at a programme organised at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday. The programme was organised to provide guardianship to three girls who had lost their parents.
PM Oli elucidated that the government was making every effort to end the days of children ending up in the streets because of the loss of their parents. He said, “The days of children living and begging on the streets following the loss of their homes and parents will be brought to an end.”
He also expressed a belief that the children would make the country’s future shine brighter if given proper opportunity by the state, society and family.
Moreover, he said that those seeking to do good deeds for the society and the nation would encounter non-cooperation and hindrances. “Social service provides satisfaction. But it is not that easy. Many obstacles need to be overcome.”
On the occasion, First Lady Radhika Shakya took guardianship of the three girls, who are from Dakshinkali.
Shakya took the initiative to rescue the three, who were left without parents after a domestic dispute led to the death of their mother and imprisonment of their father, after getting to know of their condition from the media.
They had been living at the protection centre of the Children Search Coordination Centre for the past four months because of the lockdown. They will now live at the SOS Children’s Village where they were sent on Sunday.
At the same programme, Shakya also said that her attention had been drawn to the news from Doti titled ‘Loss of parents leaves children without care’ published in the Gorkhapatra, the sister publication of The Rising Nepal, on Sunday.
Shakya said that she was left saddened by the news, which prompted her to call the member of the House of Representatives elected from Doti and begin arrangements to take care of the children’s education, health and accommodation.
Member of the Bagmati State Assembly Deepak Niroula who was involved in the rescue of the three girls, National Director of SOS Children’s Village Ishwori Prasad Sharma, Executive Director of the National Child Rights Council Milan Raj Dharel, among others, were also present at the event.