Hetauda, March 21 -- Lack of citizenship certificates has left many elderly members of the marginalised Chepang community in Makawanpur district unable to receive social security allowances. This shows how people in remote areas struggle with administrative hurdles.

Seventy-one-year-old Phool Maya Chepang of ward 7 in Kailash Rural Municipality is among the affected rural residents. A mother of seven and grandmother of 23, she has yet to obtain a citizenship certificate. Despite visiting the ward office in Tamlang twice to seek a recommendation, she has been unsuccessful.

"If I had citizenship, I could at least receive the elderly allowance. Without it, I get nothing," lamented Phool Maya. Although she understands Nepali, she primarily ...