On 4 June 2006, following the historic 19-day general strikes against the direct rule of the Shah monarch, Nepali Parliament declared Nepal as a “nation free from untouchability”. Many Dalit activists see this as an important achievement of their decades-long freedom struggle, so much so that they still celebrate the special day on the Nepali calendar, 21 Jestha, with gatherings and speeches and flower garlands. However, to most ordinary Dalits all these declarations and celebrations appear to be a cruel joke. Caste hatred, humiliation and violence based on the tradition of untouchability is still widespread and, frustratingly, the state has done nothing substantial to change the status quo. In this paper, I examine the extent to which the goal of an “untouchability-free nation” is achievable and, if deemed possible, how the state must act. Analysing through an Ambedkarite lens, I propose two fundamental ways to drastically reduce the intensity of the practice of untouchability, at least in hill societies: 1) Enforce the constitutional and legal provisions against caste discrimination and, 2) Reform religious and cultural beliefs and practices that mandate caste separation. Ritual purity and pollution being the bedrock of Hindu customs and traditions, the second proposition is highly sensitive, controversial and difficult, of course, but I argue that it can be implemented if the parties in power are sufficiently pressured to carry it forward.