Kathmandu, Mar. 9:Remote Region Development, Nepal, a non-governmental organisation organised an interaction programme here today here today on “Karnali Speaks on Caravan” based on Nepali film Caravan nominated for Oscar Award.

Speakers at the programme said that the film focusing on the poverty and backwardness of Dolpa district of the Karnali zone had made an onslaught on the culture of the local people and earned billions from the film, the producers have not provided even a small sum of the money for the development of the region.

The film shows that after a person with the name Karma dies, his body is cut into pieces and given to vultures and the system 20 years back of transportation of common salt on the   back of animals has been shown as still being practised.

It has been alleged that permission from the local people’s representatives had not been taken while the film was shot and the artists were given only nominal remuneration.

On the occasion, member of the jury of international film festival and film director Raj Bikram Shaha regretted the nomination of the film assaulting our culture  for Oscar Award and said that the concerned authorities should consult the local people before giving permission for shooting any film in future.

He disgruntled that the censor board could not be effective in the present democratic set up.

Representative of the Ministry of Information and Communications Shailendra Raj Sharma said that permission was given for the production of the film in Dolpa after fulfilling all the legal procedures and the eyes of the government had been opened when it was heard that the film had attacked the local culture. Existing rules and regulations should be amended in time so that this kind of incidents do not recur, he added.

Working journalist Prem Kaidi said that it was deplorable that our cultural heritage had been affected and we had been exploited by others at a time when the United Nations had already issued declaration for the protection of the culture and cultural heritage of the indigenous people.

The programme was presided over by president of the Remote Region Development, Nepal, Gorakh Bahadur B.C.