Govt to mobilise teams for distributing citizenship certificates

In a bid to provide citizenship certificates to all deprived people, the government has decided to mobilize 520 mobile teams to distribute citizenship certificates in all 75 districts of the country starting January 15, 2007.

The Kathmandu Post daily quoted under-secretary at the Home Ministry Shambhu Prasad Ghimire as saying that the teams are to fan out to villages across the country and distribute citizenship certificates as per new provisions set out in the recently promulgated Citizenship Act 2063.

"The teams are to be mobilized for two months," he said adding, "This period, however could be extended in the case of the Himalayan region as it is difficult to reach the villages there due to the cold climate."

The reinstated parliament recently adopted the Citizenship Act 2063, paving the way for hundreds of people, to acquire citizenship certificates.

As per the recent Act, individuals can acquire citizenship of the country by virtue of their mothers' Nepali citizenship.

Ghimire said that the Home Ministry has made necessary arrangements to inform all 75 Chief District Officers at regional security conferences scheduled to be held in different parts of the country, about the new criteria for providing citizenship certificates.

According to sources, each team comprises seven civil servants including a gazetted officer. The number of such teams in a particular district would be determined on the basis of the population and areas facing problems in the issuance of citizenship certificates.

Ghimire further said that besides issuing citizenship certificates, the mobile teams are to collect the names of those below 16 years of age and those who are away from their villages and have not yet acquired citizenship certificates. nepalnews.com pb Dec 26 06