Butwal, Feb. 10 -- Badrun Netuwa, a 45-year-old woman from Pragatinagar in ward 1 of Shuddhodhan Rural Municipality, Kapilvastu, has a family of nine.

Members of the Netuwa community live a semi-nomadic lifestyle; they are traditionally snake charmers and honey collectors. While the women mostly collect alms, the men hunt for mongoose, rats and mice for survival. People from this community are often referred to as Nat, Natuwa, Netuwa, and Netu in different geographies.

According to Badrun, 16 families from the Netuwa community in Pragatinagar have been living in huts built on public land for four generations.

"In the past, people would give us alms and respect, but these days it's not so easy. We are mostly perceived as beggars and not...