Kathmandu: 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.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister Lekhak had earlier tabled the proposal seeking discussion on the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2081, accompanied by a report from the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee. Presenting the proposal, Minister Lekhak stated that the bill guarantees the provision for children born to Nepali citizen mothers to obtain citizenship in their mother’s name. He emphasized that the bill aims to implement the court’s verdicts on citizenship issued at various times.
The bill addresses the plight of women going abroad for employment, ensuring that their children will not face statelessness upon returning to Nepal after being born outside the country. It includes a provision stating that individuals born abroad to Nepali citizen mothers, who live in Nepal, lack foreign citizenship or a passport, and have no identification of the father, may acquire naturalized Nepali citizenship through self-declaration as specified.
Additionally, the bill provides for issuing a minor identification card to children under 16, provided at least one parent is a Nepali citizen. During discussions on the bill, lawmaker Prakash Jwala expressed confidence that the bill’s passage and implementation will facilitate obtaining citizenship in the mother’s name, thereby legally ensuring that genuine Nepali citizens are not deprived of citizenship while preventing non-citizens from gaining it under any circumstances.
Lawmaker Jwala Kumari Sah highlighted the law’s importance in arranging citizenship without compromising national security, unity, and sovereignty. She remarked that children born to Nepali women married to foreign citizens should no longer face statelessness if they wish to acquire Nepali citizenship in their mother’s name.
Lawmaker Prem Suwal pointed out the persistent citizenship-related challenges faced by citizens in border areas, advocating for clear legislative provisions. He acknowledged that while granting citizenship in the mother’s name is beneficial, identifying the father remains necessary.
Lawmaker Ramkrishna Yadav expressed confidence that the endorsement and implementation of this bill would resolve current citizenship-related problems, especially in the Terai districts, where stateless individuals suffer from the lack of services and facilities they are entitled to receive from the state.
Lawmaker Ranju Kumari Jha emphasized the need to implement the Supreme Court’s order allowing citizenship to be granted in the mother’s name. However, lawmaker Chitra Bahadur KC raised concerns that despite extensive debate, this bill might not resolve citizenship disputes and issues stemming 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, also shared their views on the bill. The next meeting of the HoR is scheduled for 1:00 pm on June 29.