For a pinch of salt

The government must buttress the public service delivery system so that essential commodities reach rural areas easily.

The news that rural folks have difficulty accessing essential commodities does not shock anyone anymore; the idea that distance equates with destitution has been deeply ingrained in the Nepali psyche. As the Post reported on Sunday, residents of Mugumkarmarong Rural Municipality in Mugu district have to walk for two days to reach Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, to purchase iodised salt. The locals end up sending more money on travel, food and accommodation than on the salt as their requests for having a depot established close by have gone unheeded for years.