Kathmandu, May 9 -- Ram Kumari Rimal, a 63-year-old farmer from Dhading, still has Rs102 balance on her mobile phone, but she has been unable to make or receive calls.

Her daughter in Chitwan transferred Rs200 to her phone two or three months ago, and the remaining balance is now unusable, she said.

The problem stems from the expiry of the recharge validity period. Once validity expires, the phone enters a grace period where outgoing services are barred first. After a certain period, both incoming and outgoing services are restricted before the SIM card is eventually deactivated.

When someone calls her number, they hear a message saying incoming calls have been restricted.

"There is balance in the phone, but the validity has expired. ...