Over 1.2 Million People Get Citizenship

Over 1.2 Million People Get Citizenship Cards in Nepal since Formation of Interim Govt March 15 2007

NHRN News Desk
http://www.nepalhumanrightsnews.com/news.asp?id=778

Kathmandu, March 5: The Government of Nepal has distributed citizenship certificates to more than 1.2 million people during the past one and a half month, official sources claimed on Sunday.

Home Ministry said it provided citizenship certificates to one million and 237 thousand citizens in various parts of the country after the government initiated a special campaign to distribute citizenship papers one and half month ago.

The Ministry had formed 560 different teams that reached to villages to provide documents to eligible citizens.

Of the total distribution, 1.16 million have obtained the citizenship on inheritance basis, whereas more than 51 thousand acquired the documents on the basis of birth and others as naturalized citizens, according to the Ministry.

Baman Prasad Neupane, joint secretary at the Ministry, said that the government could extend the time for distributing citizenship papers beyond mid-March based on demands.

The special teams were deputed to distribute citizenship certificates, based on new Citizenship Act, and primarily to benefit a large section of Madhesi population, who had long complained that they were still deprived of this important document.