The Himalayan Times 11 February 2014 Help Chepangs It is disheartening to read the news report “Famine hits Chepangs of Dhading” (THT, 8 Feb. Page 5) that must have drawn the attention of all the concerned authorities of the Government of Republic Nepal. I am not so sure whether the government has launched programmes to assist this endangered community. So far there is no Chepang who represents his/her community in any social, economic and political arena. For how long will they have to continue suffering? For decades, they used to wander around the jungles in search of wild roots to survive. Usually, they consume wild yam and plants from mid-January to mid-April. In the other months, they face acute shortage of foods. Around 18,000 Chepangs, most of them are landless, live in different villages of Dhading district. Their rights to basic needs seem to have been completely ignored by the state. There must be a number of NGOs working in Dhading district, but they a