Kathmadu: Today’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) has endorsed the ‘Nepal Citizenship (Second) Bill, 2082’ by majority.
Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak had presented the proposal seeking endorsement of the bill in the Lower House meeting today.
Earlier, Minister Lekhak had tabled the proposal seeking discussion on Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081 with the report of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.
Presenting the proposal, Minister Lekhak said the provision that the children born to Nepali citizen mother can obtain citizenship from mother’s name has been guaranteed in the bill.
“The bill has been introduced to guarantee for children to obtain citizenship from mother’s name. The bill is an attempt to execute the court’s verdicts on citizenship in different time”, the Home Minster added.
Women going abroad for foreign employment will not have to face the situation of their children being stateless when they return to Nepal after giving birth outside the country, he clarified.
The bill includes a provision stating, “A person born abroad to a Nepali citizen mother, who resides in Nepal, does not have foreign citizenship or passport, and who has no identification of the father, may acquire naturalized Nepali citizenship through self-declaration as specified”.
Similarly, the bill also includes a provision for issuing a minor identification card to children under 16, provided that at least one parent is a Nepali citizen.
During the discussions on the bill, lawmaker Prakash Jwala expressed confidence that once this bill is passed and implemented, the way for obtaining citizenship in the name of the mother would be opened.
Jwala emphasized that this bill is important to legally ensure that genuine Nepali citizens are not deprived of citizenship and that non-citizens do not gain citizenship in any circumstance.
Lawmaker Jwala kumari Sah stated that this law is necessary to arrange citizenship in such a way that it does not affect national security, unity, and sovereignty.
She further noted that in the case that a Nepali woman marries a foreign citizen, the children born to such parents should no longer be left stateless if they wish to acquire Nepali citizenship in their mother’s name.
Lawmaker Prem Suwal asserted that citizens along the border areas have always faced citizenship-related issues and that clear provisions should be brought through legislation.
He expressed the view that while the provision of granting citizenship in the mother’s name is good, it is still necessary to identify the father.
Lawmaker Ramkrishna Yadav expressed confidence that the endorsement and implementation of this bill would solve the current citizenship-related problems.
He noted that there are many citizenship-related issues in the Terai districts, stating that stateless individuals are deprived of services and facilities that they are entitled to receive from the state.
Yadav said that the provisions included in this bill would address the problems of such individuals.
Lawmaker Ranju Kumari Jha emphasized the need to implement the Supreme Court’s order allowing citizenship to be granted in the mother’s name.
Lawmaker Chitra Bahadur KC expressed concern that although there has been much debate in the House regarding citizenship, this bill will not be able to resolve the citizenship-related disputes and problems arising from the open border with India.
Lawmakers, including Rupa Soshi Chaudhary, Sher Bahadur Kunwar, Madhav Sapkota, Muktakumari Yadav, Narayani Sharma, Purna Bahadur Gharti, Bhagwati Chaudhary, Amritlal Rajbanshi, Kantika Sejuwal, Sushila Thing, and Amrita Devi Agrahari have expressed their views on the bill.
Next meeting of the HoR is scheduled to take place at 1.00 pm on June 29.