Nepal, Oct. 8 -- Juthe Tamang, 52, has been living under a tarpaulin in Bidur, Nuwakot, since the August flood took his house. The government has promised displaced families Rs15,000 a month in housing assistance, paid into a bank account. When he went to open one, Sanima Bank turned him down. His citizenship certificate was issued in 1986, when he was 16. The photograph on it, the bank said, does not match his face.

Thirty-six years of a life, and the document never moved.

Everyone in this story, reported in The Kathmandu Post on September 28, behaves reasonably. The bank follows a rule; officials suggest workarounds; Nepal Rastra Bank has eased verification for flood victims. What does not exist is any way for a citizen to bring a sta...