KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 15: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs K.P. Sharma Oli has said that the new Constitution to be drafted through the Constituent Assembly should give equal rights to women.

Speaking at an interaction programme on ?Place of Women in the Constituent Assembly? organised by the Sustainable Development Nepal (SDN) here today, he said the 33 per cent reservation provided to the women at present was only an initiation.

Expressing his disapproval over the logic that it is not necessary to provide equal rights to women as they are not given equal rights at par with their male counterparts in other countries, Deputy Prime Minister Oli said that Nepal should set an example in the world by doing what other countries have not been able to do.

Stating that men are of a more aggressive and foolhardy nature whereas women are calm and tolerant, he said the desired change would not come about until women are taken to the decision-making level.

MP and President of All Nepal Women?s Association (ANWA), Bidhya Bhandari said that the Constituent Assembly is not only of the political parties but a topic of interest and concern for every Nepali.
She added that the Nepali women should take the Constituent Assembly seriously for attaining their rights.

Central Vice President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Women?s Association, Ishwari Neupane said that the Nepali women still have to struggle for their rights.

She added that now there should be 51 per cent participation of women in every sector on the basis of population.

At the programme presided over by President of the Sustainable Development Nepal, Meena Karki, Deputy Prime Minister Oli on behalf the SDN honoured 13 individuals making contributions to different sectors of society.

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