Class structures are changing, but remnants of caste discrimination persist: Khatiwada

Former Finance Minister Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada has said that although class structures in Nepali society are changing, remnants of caste-based and social discrimination still remain.

He was speaking on Thursday at a program held at the CPN-UML central office in Chyasal, where the party's Policy Study and Research Center made its website public.

He said that any analysis of class structure must also account for caste and gender discrimination. According to him, as the country's political, economic, and cultural landscape changes, old class forms are shifting and new classes are emerging.

He said caste and class are different aspects, but since there is a direct relationship between the two in Nepal, both must be taken as a basis for studying society.

He expressed concern over the tendency for state protection, opportunities, and facilities to be determined by caste and community rather than economic status, saying this risks weakening the protection and support available to the lower class.