Surkhet, April 27 -- In Nekpa, ward 5 of Chankheli Rural Municipality of Humla, Purna Budha is forced to walk nearly six hours one way just to buy salt.

"There is no road access in the village, so we have to reach the municipal centre at Piplang to get salt," he said. "We wake up at dawn, go there, bring salt back and return only by evening."

The journey is not occasional. It is a seasonal necessity in one of Nepal's most remote Himalayan districts, where basic supplies still depend on long foot routes and fragile supply chains.

In Chankheli, subsidised salt for the year arrived in early March. The municipality arranged distribution at 50 kg per household, according to chair Pyarilal Shahi. Households were required to obtain recommenda...