More than half a million people receiving the elderly allowances have obtained the National Identity (ID) Cards in the Nepali month of Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August) despite the government revoking its June 6 decision to make the cards compulsory.

“Even though the government backtracked on its earlier decision to make ID cards compulsory for receiving social security allowances, more than half a million people who renewed their social security [elderly] allowance identification documents in Shrawan also obtained National ID cards,” Yubraj Katel, the director general of the National ID and Civil Registration told the Post.

This does not include people above 90 years, disabled, infirm and those unable to care for themselves, says Katel. They don’t need to produce the National ID card to receive the social security allowances.

According to the Economic Survey 2024-25 presented by the Finance Ministry 1.62 million senior citizens over the age 68 are benefited from the social security allowances.

As the new fiscal year began in Shrawan, senior citizens receiving the social security allowances are required to renew their identity cards. They can renew their cards throughout Shrawan and Bhadra or by mid-Septmeber.

Earlier, the National ID and Civil Registration Department of the home ministry had issued a notice based on the Cabinet decision of June 6 making National ID cards mandatory for accessing government services, including social security allowances.

The home ministry also announced that the rule will be enforced in 28 districts.

However, after the government decision to require National ID cards compulsory for social security allowances faced criticism from various quarters, including from federal lawmakers, the government reversed the decision.

The government was criticised for enforcing ID cards without making necessary preparations.

“Citing the monsoon and the difficulties senior citizens faced in obtaining the cards on short notice, the previous government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal had revoked the Cabinet’s decision,” Katel, the director general of the National ID and Civil Registration told the Post. “With the rollback, National ID card is not currently required to receive social security allowances.”

Had an original decision been implemented, National ID cards would have been compulsory from mid-July for people with disabilities, the elderly, and single women who receive social security allowances.

As per the existing rules, senior citizens must visit their ward office in person every year to renew their social security card, which is linked to the allowances deposited in their bank accounts.

The Allowance Distribution Procedure 2077 did not include a digital procedure for distributing social security allowances. However, Katel told the Post that the department has now introduced a new procedure integrating social security allowance cards with National ID cards. “With this new procedure, people with National ID do not need to visit their local ward offices to renew their social security allowance card. They can renew it from any district.”

The government also plans to make the ID card mandatory for citizens obtaining a driver’s licence, passport, and telephone number, as well as for registering vital events such as birth, death and marriage, and for company registration, and land ownership transfer.

As per the notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the gazette in June, the government has mandated the use of the card in all government sectors replacing the previous requirement for a citizenship certificate by January 14, 2025.

According to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, joint-secretary and spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, this new provision aims to standardise the use of National ID cards across various sectors. The mandate extends to other services such as banking, financial transactions, social security allowances, health insurance, pensions, personal income tax registration, driver’s licences, and company registration and renewal nationwide.

“Although the June decision of the Cabinet to make National ID cards mandatory for social security allowances was revoked, the January deadline for the new requirement remains intact,” Bhattarai told the Post. “In the gazette we have mentioned the areas where the card will be compulsory starting January 2025.”

At present, the Traffic Police use Nagarik App to verify whether individuals have driving licences or not.

“Although we are working closely with the Department of National ID and Civil Registration to streamline our process, it is not easy as it seems,” a traffic police officer told the Post requesting anonymity. “There are budget issues related to the app and the device needed to verify driving licences using National ID cards. But the department is focussed on unnecessary advertising instead of providing us with the required equipment.”

“Hopefully we will be provided with the equipment before the government’s new decision takes effect.”

However, Mahesh Kumar Keshari, director and chief of the National ID Card Management Section under the Department of National ID and Civil Registration says, the issues raised by the traffic police officer can be managed.

“The National ID card contains a QR code that traffic police can scan with a mobile app to verify the driving licences,” Keshari told the Post. “We already have set up the system but traffic police need mobile phones to scan the QR codes. The municipal authorities, and provincial and federal governments are positive about providing the funds needed.”

Likewise, the Pension Management Office also has made the National ID compulsory for receiving pensions starting from Sharwan.

“As per the decision of the government, we have made the National ID mandatory in 28 districts in the first phase,” said Rajbhai Shrestha, the information officer at the Pension Management Office.

“Out of the 216,000 pensioners in the 28 districts, more than 40,000 have already obtained their National ID cards, according to our data,” Shrestha told the Post. Pensions are being withheld for those without National ID cards, he said.

The National ID Card is a federal identity document issued by the Department of National Identity Card and Civil Registration. It has a unique number assigned to each person and can be obtained by Nepali citizens based on their biometric and demographic data. The card features a unique number, photo, personal information, and fingerprints of the bearer.

The government officially launched the National ID card distribution campaign in 2018 by presenting the first card to a 101-year-old woman in Panchthar district, and to government employees at Singha Durbar, the central secretariat in Kathmandu. It also announced plans to digitally integrate driving licences, vehicle ownership certificates, banking services, tax payments, voter ID cards, and social security systems, among other things, into the National Identity Card.

However, almost six years after issuing the first National ID card and announcing the digital integration, the government has yet to fully implement these commitments.