“Rajpur women became aware through a one-day orientation regarding land and housing.”
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23 Dec, 2025
Geographical distance and lack of awareness and knowledge kept generations in joint families; Rajpur women are now aware. Sumitra Chaudhary, a resident of Salbhauri in Rajpur Rural Municipality-5, who for
generations have been farming jointly without partitioning property due to geographical distance and lack of awareness and knowledge. She said she felt surprised when she learned that registering land under a “Joint Land Title Certificate” (in the name of both husband and wife) costs less. Sumitra questioned us in return, asking, “Was this provision available from before?”
Like Sumitra, Janak Kumari Chaudhary, also a resident of Salbhauri, Rajpur Rural Municipality-5, expressed her surprise. She stated that although they have enough land to farm and sustain themselves, they haven’t partitioned the property for three generations because they lack sufficient money.
“If we had known that registering land in the names of both husband and wife costs less, perhaps everyone would have taken their shares and started their own businesses or taken loans from banks and financial institutions to start trades. But we remained silent because we thought property partitioning costs a lot and the service is cumbersome,” they said.
However, they expressed that they felt very happy with the information provided by today’s training regarding what a joint land title certificate is, how to obtain it, and what documents are required to get it.
Sumitra and Janak Kumari are just representative characters of that rural municipality. With financial support from NIVAS and the MetLife Foundation and organized by the Rural Women Development Center (RWDC) Dang, the “Strengthening Women Families through Safe Housing and Women’s Ownership in Land Awareness/Advocacy Project” is being implemented in Dang district. Under the program to make four hundred women land-literate through this project, RWDC Dang provided a one-day orientation on land and housing, making 69 women from landless Dalit, landless squatter, and informal settler communities within Rajpur Rural Municipality literate (aware) about the issue.
On Kartik 18, 2082 BS, at Salbhauri, Rajpur Rural Municipality Ward No. 5, and on the 19th at the Gangadi area of Rajpur Rural Municipality Ward No. 6, the orientation on land and housing was conducted by participating women members of different groups affiliated with Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. who have been residing in those areas.
In that orientation, topics covered included what land and housing are, women’s rights concerning land, Land Policy 2075, land measurement and mapping, provisions and efforts made for women’s ownership of land, what a joint land title certificate is, why it is important, and what procedures need to be adopted to obtain the title deed.
Speaking at the orientation program, which was inaugurated under the chairmanship of Aasmani Chaudhary, president of the organization, with Dhanpati Devi Yadav, vice-chairperson of Rajpur Rural Municipality, as the chief guest, and Hemant Bahadur Dangi, chief administrative officer of Rajpur Rural Municipality, as the special guest, Chief Guest Dhanpati Devi Yadav stated that women have been facing various forms of violence for centuries. She expressed the view that until women become economically strong, they will continue to face various sufferings, and therefore, it is necessary for land to be in
women’s names. Similarly, highlighting that the joint land title distribution process is also very important, she stated that the Government of Nepal has introduced laws so that women can become equal partners by registering land jointly in the names of the husband and wife in the household, adding that following this is a matter of great necessity for today’s women. She also thanked the organization for the role it played in orienting and informing the women of this area about land and housing within her municipality.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the orientation, Special Guest of the program, Hemant Bahadur Dangi, Chief Administrative Officer of Rajpur Rural Municipality, said that while the local government should have made everyone literate on this subject, he thanked the organization for initiating this work in the area. He also expressed happiness at having personally learned about the provisions existing at the local level through this orientation program.
In the program, Aasmani Chaudhary, president of the organization, stated that the organization, established with the vision of creating a self-reliant and empowered society, has been working in various fields, including agriculture, environment, health, and housing, for the empowerment of women. She informed us that since 2024, the organization has already constructed and handed over 8 earthquake-resistant houses and toilets for single women and children under 16 years of age in the areas of Rajpur and Gadhawa Rural Municipalities.
She further informed that house construction work is ongoing in the Rajpur and Gadhawa Rural Municipality areas this year as well, and recently, a disabled-friendly and earthquake-resistant house was constructed and handed over to Durga Chaudhary, a resident of Gangadi in Rajpur Rural Municipality Ward No. 6. President Chaudhary informed that a total of 7 houses will be constructed this year (4 in Gadhawa RM and 3 in Rajpur RM). She explained that this orientation program was organized starting this year, feeling the need to make women aware of the constitutional policies, rights, and processes related to land and housing, with the goal of making 400 women in Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City, Gadhawa Rural Municipality, and Rajpur Rural Municipality areas literate on this subject (land and housing).
Closing of the Second Day
Speaking on behalf of the participants during the closing of the second day, Durga Chaudhary, a resident of Gangadi, Rajpur Rural Municipality-6, shared that being physically disabled and neglected by her husband, she had found it very difficult to make a living and raise her three children. However, she expressed that since the Rural Women Development Center (RWDC) and NIVAS built a house for her, she has now become the owner of both a home and the land it stands on.
She further mentioned that after the land was registered in her name through a gift deed (Bakash-patra) and the house was constructed through the organization’s initiative, there has been a significant positive change in the way her family and the community perceive her. She shared her realization that education, awareness, and having property in one’s own name are the most important things for a person, noting that “if you have property, everyone wants to be near you.” She expressed her gratitude to NIVAS and RWDC for helping her secure the house and land in her name. Similarly, she thanked the Rural Municipality for providing a cooking stove and for remembering her when other government services and facilities are distributed.
The orientation, conducted at Salbhauri on the first day and Gangadi on the second day within Rajpur Rural Municipality, was facilitated by Nep Bahadur Chaudhary, Meena Giri, and Nirmal Chaudhary from the organization, along with Sharad Regmi, the Land and Housing Focal Person for Rajpur Rural Municipality. The program, which began with a welcome speech by Thakuri Yadav from Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd., was moderated by Parwati Basnet.
