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KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said arrangements have been made for providing non-residential Nepali citizenships to the Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs) after much struggle and effort.
Distributing the non-resident Nepali citizenship to the NRNs amidst a programme organised at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu on Tuesday, PM Dahal said it was a great achievement.
"I have made a great deal of struggle and initiation to have the provision of providing the non-residential citizenship with the economic and cultural rights to the NRNs incorporated in the Constitution of Nepal. We have acquired the constitutional right on the strength of this initiation," PM Dahal said.
Recalling that the Citizenship Bill became law and its regulation was formulated after the Bill was endorsed by the President at the request of the new government under his leadership, the Prime Minister said, "I am confident that the hundreds of thousands of NRNs in foreign land very well understand the non-resident Nepali citizenship was achieved through whose struggle and initiatives. You will also explain to all friends and the Nepali community this fact and make them understand it accordingly."
He further said that many issues related to the NRNs have been addressed through the government's policies and programmes, and the budget. In this connection, the minimum threshold of foreign investment has been reduced from Rs 50 million and maintained at Rs 20 million.
"Legal provisions have been made for opening the non-resident Nepalis' investment in the secondary securities market. Similarly, the decision to encompass the workers on foreign employment into the contribution-based social security programme through the Social Security Fund (SSF) has been implemented. This is a historical work," the PM reiterated.
According to him, so far more than 300,000 labourers have joined this programme and the government is convinced that this number will further increase in the coming days.
Reminding that the Nepalis spread throughout the world are Nepal's non-resident envoys, he said the nation expected a lot from the NRNs. The PM mentioned on the occasion that the government has been collaborating with the NRNA since the latter was established. Various programmes targeting the NRNs have been announced through the budget statement for the current fiscal year, he added.
NRNA Executive President Badri KC said with the distribution of Nepali citizenship to NRNs, the campaign 'Once a Nepali you always remain a Nepali' has become meaningful.
'The citizenship is not just a paper. It's a responsibility. Nepalis living abroad should contribute to the motherland's prosperity", he stressed.
Stating that 'Diaspora' has a significant role in the country's development, NRNA President Kul Acharya mentioned that citizenship has connected people residing abroad with their motherland.
Likewise, NRNA Founding President Upendra Mahato shared that non-residential Nepali citizenship is not just a piece of paper, it is a part of the heart.
Extending gratitude towards the government and political parties for the legal arrangements to provide citizenship to NRNs, he assured that the NRNs would continuously engage to make Nepal prosperous.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal provided the NRN citizenship certificates to the Executive Chairman of the Association of NRNs, Badri KC, and Chairman Kul Acharya amidst a function organized at his residence, Baluwatar, on Tuesday.
District Administration Office, Kathmandu, issued an NRN citizenship certificate in the name of Executive Chairman KC on Monday, while the District Administration Office, Parbat to Chairman Acharya on Sunday. Earlier, the certificates were handed to PM Dahal by the respective chief district officers.
The NRN citizenship documents were provided in line with Article 14 of the Constitution of Nepal. The constitutional provision was further eased with the amendment to Nepal Citizenship Act, 2063.
Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dinesh Bhattarai, informed that the government had made arrangements to distribute NRN citizenship certificates from all 77 districts. With this, the NRNs can apply for such certificates from today onwards.
