Around 35 percent of the Chepang population in Makwanpur remains without citizenship certificates.
At the age of 72, Phulmaya Chepang finally received her Nepali citizenship certificate for the first time. The smile on her face reflected the end of decades of hardship. Holding her citizenship certificate, she looked toward Assistant Chief District Officer Mohan Raj Joshi and Ward Chairperson Udas Blon and said in the Chepang language, “Dyah budha bhatta wangna” (“Now I will receive the old-age allowance.”).
Phulmaya, a resident of Khanidanda in Kailash Rural Municipality–7, had been unable to access the government’s social security allowance because she did not have a citizenship certificate. Her long wait finally ended when she obtained her citizenship from the District Administration Office on July 3, 2026.
It was also the first time in her life that Phulmaya had traveled to Hetauda. She arrived at the District Administration Office barefoot. With cracked feet and unable to understand the Nepali language, she hesitated even to enter the office.
Ward Chairperson Udas Blon said that Phulmaya only began to feel comfortable after he held her hand and escorted her to the office of the Assistant Chief District Officer. After receiving her citizenship certificate, a distinct glow could be seen on her face. Accompanied by her grandson, she repeatedly urged him in the Chepang language to return home quickly.
A mother of seven children and grandmother to 23 grandchildren, Phulmaya Chepang had initiated the citizenship application process at the ward office five years ago. However, the process could not move forward because she was unable to gather the required documents. Her husband, Thule Chepang, had passed away a decade earlier, and her parents and siblings were also no longer alive, making it even more difficult to obtain supporting evidence. After media reports highlighted her lack of citizenship, Ward Chairperson Blon personally took the initiative to collect the necessary documents and provide a recommendation. As a result, she was brought to the District Administration Office on July 3, 2026, where she finally received her citizenship certificate. Her three sons and four daughters had already obtained citizenship certificates earlier.
During the campaign period for the House of Representatives election on Falgun 21, she had also complained to candidates visiting her village about her inability to obtain citizenship. She currently lives at her youngest son’s home. While her son works in Chitwan for employment, her daughter-in-law supports the family through daily wage labor.
Alongside Phulmaya, Thulimaya Chepang, 53, of Kailash Rural Municipality–7 also received her citizenship certificate on July 3, 2026.
According to Govindram Chepang, Chairperson of the Nepal Chepang Association, around 35 percent of the Chepang population in Kailash and Raksirang rural municipalities of Makwanpur remains without citizenship certificates. Many Chepang people, particularly those above the age of 60, are deprived not only of citizenship but also of social security allowances and other basic state services due to the lack of citizenship documentation.
According to Raj Kumar Malla, operating mobile citizenship camps in remote settlements would enable many residents to obtain citizenship more easily. He noted that most members of the Chepang community generally do not prioritize obtaining citizenship unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
The Chepang community faces challenges beyond citizenship, including the absence of land ownership certificates, low literacy rates, and widespread poverty. The literacy rate among the community is estimated to be only around 30 percent. According to the 2021 national census, Nepal’s Chepang population stands at 84,364, of whom 23,650 reside in Makwanpur and 35,637 in Chitwan. Census data further show that the Chepang community is present across 26 districts of the country.