Social security allowance to be deducted if details of recipients are not updated immediately

KATHMANDU: The government has warned to deduct the amount from the local level if it does not update the details of the recipients of social security allowance. The Department of National Identity Cards and Civil Registration has issued a circular to all 753 local levels warning them to reduce the social security allowances received by the locals who do not update their details within a day or two.

Jitendra Basnet, Director-General of the department, told Nepal Press that the local level, which had updated the details of the recipients of social security allowance last year, has also been requested to update the details for the coming fiscal year through a circular. According to him, the names of the beneficiaries who have received social security allowance in different categories should be identified, several allowances for the same individual should be cut, and the status of the beneficiaries above 100 years of age should be ascertained.

More than 3.3 million recipients of social security benefits

The number of active beneficiaries receiving social security allowance in the current fiscal year is 3.343 million, according to the department. According to the report, 38% of the recipients of social security allowance, i.e. the number of senior citizens above 70 years of age, has reached 1.28 million, said Director Shivaraj Joshi, who is also the information officer of the department.

According to him, the second-highest number of beneficiaries are specified children i.e. 18% or 627,756 and the number of Dalit children is 12% or 413,209. Single women are 10% or 359,390, and senior citizen single women are 8%, or 269,786.

Similarly, there are 191,054 for senior citizens’ allowance (Dalit), 177,767 for disability allowance, 56,290 for full disability allowance, 22,856 for endangered castes, 20,538 for senior citizens and 754 for children from endangered castes.

In Province 2, about 700,000 people receive social security allowance

According to the provinces, the highest number of beneficiaries receiving social security allowance is 21% or 692,404 in Province 2, while the second-highest number of beneficiaries is 15% or 499,162 in Province 1. Similarly, 14% i.e. 478, 668 in Lumbini, 14% or 467,886 in Bagmati, 13% or 442,130 in Sudurpaschim province, 10% or 349,047 in Gandaki and 10% or 335,521 in Karnali.

In the fiscal year 2076-77, the government has spent Rs. 66.22 billion under the social security program, while in the current fiscal year, it has allocated Rs. 67.50 billion by adding Rs. 1 billion.

According to the National Identity Card and Civil Registration Department, the government is currently distributing nine types of social security allowances, of which, Rs. 3,000/- is provided monthly to senior citizens who have completed 70 years of age, persons with class A disability and endangered castes.

The Department of National Identity Card and Civil Registration had issued a circular to all the 753 local levels to distribute social security allowances through the banking system at the beginning of the current fiscal year. It was requested through the circular to distribute social security allowance through the banking system from the current Fiscal Year 2077-78 BS to all the local levels which have access to banking.

Through the circular, it has been asked to send digital details of the list of beneficiaries received from the electronic management information system of the department to the bank and on the basis of that, a social security account without the presence of the beneficiary receiving social security allowance can also be opened with zero balance. 

Dalit senior citizens who have completed 60 years of age, senior citizens single women, senior citizens designated and widowed single women are given Rs.2000 monthly. 

Similarly, the government has been providing Rs 1,600 monthly financial assistance and Rs 400 monthly child nutrition allowance to people with class A disability. Although the government provides social security allowances on a monthly basis, it is distributed only on a quarterly basis.