On the recommendation of her daughter, who is married, and approval of local villagers, Rati Rokamagar received her citizenship certificate from a mobile citizenship distribution team last Wednesday. [break]
“We studied her condition. Since there was no one to recommend her except her daughter, we granted her a citizenship certificate on the daughter´s recommendation and approval of villagers,” said assistant chief district officer Arjun Bhandari.
Rokamagar had been deprived of citizenship so far as she was not able to produce the citizenship of her husband who had died long time back. He did not have citizenship either as there was no need to have one in those days.
"When my husband was alive, one had to go to Khalanga [district headquarter] after walking for three days to get a citizenship cerficiate so I did not take the trouble of getting one. But later I learnt that they don´t give even the old age allowance without a citizenship," she said.
Every time she approached officials, she was asked to produce her husband´s identity which she could not do.
“I just cannot explain how excited I am. This all became possible due to my daughter. Now I can claim my old age allowance,” said an elated Rokamagar.
After the death of her husband and a son, Rokamagar had started living with her married daughter.
According to Bhandari, the aim of the citizenship distribution team is to ensure that bona fide Nepalis like Rokamagar are not deprived of a citizenship certificate. “This time we have been trying to make the procedure simple so that genuine Nepalis get the certificate without much hassle,” he said. “Many old people, disabled and helpless women have received citizenship this time,” he added. The mobile team provided citizenship certificates to 300 people in Maikot, Hukam and Jang VDCs of Rukum in a week.
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