SARLAHI: The District Administration Office (DAO), Sarlahi, has issued a citizenship certificate in the name of the mother for the first time in the district. Ram Manohar Gupta, a resident of Lalbandi Municipality–7, was granted Nepali citizenship on Monday in the name of his mother.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Ramuraj Kandariya said Gupta, whose father is a foreign national and mother is Nepali, was granted citizenship in accordance with the second amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2063 BS, and the fourth amendment to the Citizenship Regulations, 2063 BS.
“Following the amendment of the law and regulations, the DAO issued citizenship in the name of the mother for the first time on Monday,” CDO Kandariya said. “This has opened the way for children born to Nepali mothers and foreign fathers, who lack paternal guardianship, to obtain citizenship in their mother’s name.” He expressed hope that the move would help resolve the problem of statelessness faced by many children in the district.
Kandariya added that two weeks ago, the DAO had circulated instructions related to the amended law to all 20 local governments in the district.
He further said the decision is expected to address longstanding problems faced by such individuals, including difficulties in securing employment despite having education and skills, and limitations in accessing banking services and SIM cards due to the lack of citizenship.
“I have officially become a Nepali citizen today,” Gupta said after receiving his citizenship certificate. “The struggle that a child born in Nepal to a Nepali mother must go through to prove their nationality is painful and challenging.”
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