well as supply of food in these areas has been seriously affected due to the disturbing political situation. Almost 51% of the population feel that their food consumption is less than adequate due to insufficient food or income; and 63% of the people from the mountain region suffer from lack of access to fertile land, seeds, irrigation, etc. — only 3% report having adequate food. The ongoing conflict has affected production and distribution of food in quite a few remote areas. Under-nourishment has thus been affecting the growth and well-being of the people, especially children. Skewed distribution of land, absentee land ownership, and infrastructure related deficiencies are three key factors contributing to food insecurity. Health: The average life expectancy (59 years) of Nepalese people remains quite low and Nepal is one of the few countries where women live shorter (58 years) than the men. The primary health care services are poor due to understaffing or lack of trained health personnel. Lack of medicine and basic equipment is an acute problem faced by health centres. Most of the rural hospitals do not have sufficient number of doctors and many rural women die at the time of giving birth due to lack of pre-natal health services and absence of trained birth attendants. The lack of trained medical personnel and birth attendants has contributed to a high infant mortality rate (66 per 1,000 live births) and maternal mortality ratio is 540 per 100,000. Likewise, diarrhoea remains to be a major killer disease. Access to safe drinking water and safe sanitation facility is the most essential pre-condition to enjoy the right to good health. Statistics show that 88 percent of the households in Nepal have access to an improved source of water, but the quality of drinking water supplied is highly questionable. An overwhelming majority, 72 percent of the rural households do not have access to improved sanitation. The fertility rate is quite high at 4.6%. Despite significant progress, immunisation for DPT and Measles still remains below 75 percent. Additionally, 20 percent of the children suffer form severe malnutrition, 48 percent suffer from moderate malnutrition, and child health problems related to Vitamin A and Iodine deficiencies remain a concern. In recent years, HIV/AIDS cases have started increasing. There are nearly 60,000 Nepalese living with HIV/AIDS. Unavailability of HIV testing facilities in all the hospitals and health centres has exposed people to the grave risk of HIV transmission through blood transmission. Access to medication is very low due to the high medication costs. Moreover, people with HIV/ AIDS face discrimination in hospitals, in the society and within their families as well. Shelter: Housing is one of the basic rights of people, but a very large number of Nepalese people are deprived of this right. The only national housing survey conducted in 1991 reported that about half of the total houses are of the temporary type, about forty percent are semi-permanent and the rest belong to permanent category. Absence of a culturally appropriate low-cost but safe housing policy for rural and urban areas has not enabled the people to exercise their right to adequate housing. Large numbers of people in urban areas live in rented rooms and houses without any regulatory mechanisms to protect their interests/well being as well as the interests of the owners. Due to the centralisation of various key opportunities in the urban areas, the number of people using rented facilities is increasing and will continue to increase in the future. The problem of squatting is on the rise in urban 19