Due to a dispute over the disability identity cards in Ramechhap Municipality, citizens with disability have been deprived of receiving their social security allowance during the Dashain festival.
While senior citizens, single women, Dalits, and other target communities in the municipality received their social security allowances for the first quarter of this fiscal year, citizens with disability were left empty-handed. The dispute arose over the distribution of disability identity cards by the municipality, leading to a legal case filed in the Supreme Court. The court ordered that social security allowances should not be immediately disbursed to the beneficiaries of the municipality. Instead, they should undergo a re-examination. As a result, the social security allowances for individuals with disability have been temporarily halted.
Ramechhap Municipality has issued a total of 615 disability identity cards. Among them, 238 people are eligible for a ‘class A’ disability ID card (red card), and 134 are eligible for a ‘class B’ ID card.
Mitraprasad Ghimire, Chief Administrative Officer of Ramechhap Municipality, explained that although the allowances for other beneficiaries had been transferred to their bank accounts before the tenth day, the disbursement for disabled citizens was delayed due to the ongoing legal case. The municipality expressed regret that the allowances could not be provided to the disabled beneficiaries before the Dashain festival. The distribution of the social security allowances will resume after Dashain, with disabled citizens being identified and certificates being distributed.
The government of Nepal provides monthly social security allowances to various groups, including senior citizens, single women, Dalits, and disabled citizens. However, the disabled citizens in Ramechhap Municipality are uncertain when they will receive their social security allowance, as the municipality has transitioned to disbursing the allowances on a quarterly basis. This situation raises concerns about the constitutionally guaranteed social security rights for disabled citizens, as stated in Article 43 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072, which grants the right to social security for economically disadvantaged individuals, disabled persons, helpless single women, children with disabilities, and those unable to care for themselves.