A life of alms, and no exit in sight for Netuwas

Although constitution promises social security and allowances for endangered groups, Kapilvastu’s Netuwas remain excluded from state support.

Shubhawati Netuwa, 50, from Dhupahi in Mayadevi Rural Municipality, spends her days moving from one settlement to another, collecting food to survive. With no land of her own to cultivate, begging has remained her only option. “We cannot go hungry. What we gather from villages is what keeps us alive,” she said.