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 speaks the Chepang language.

Her husband died four years ago without her obtaining citizenship. With no surviving parents or brothers in her maternal family, she has been unable to gather the documents required for verification. While her three sons have citizenship certificates through their father, Phool Maya—who entered a second marriage with Somlal—remains undocumented.

Udas Blon, ward 7 chairman, said that officials could not issue a recommendation due to a lack of required records for verification. “Her sons obtained citizenship through their father, but in her case, we could not establish the necessary documents,” he said.

Phool Maya raised her concerns with candidates who visited her home during the March 5 elections of the House of Representatives. She now lives with her youngest son’s family. Her son is away in Chitwan seeking work, and her daughter-in-law supports the household through daily wage labour. “We survive on maize flour bought with what she earns,” she shared her ordeal.

Phool Maya’s situation is not an isolated case. According to Govinda Ram Chepang, central chairman of Nepal Chepang Association, around 30 percent of the Chepang population in Kailash and Raksirang rural municipalities in Makawanpur are without citizenship certificates. “Most of those without citizenship are above 50 years old. They are among the poorest, yet they are excluded from state support," said Govinda Ram.

Elected local representatives acknowledge the scale of the issue. Raj Kumar Malla, chairman of Raksirang Rural Municipality, said more than 30 percent of Chepangs in his local unit do not have citizenship. “People tend to seek citizenship only when absolutely necessary, such as for going abroad mainly for employment,” he said.

Officials of both Kailash and Raksirang rural municipalities have urged the District Administration Office to conduct mobile camps to distribute citizenship certificates in remote settlements.

Beyond citizenship, the Chepang community faces broader deprivation. Many lack land ownership certificates, and literacy remains low. According to the 2021 national census, Nepal is home to 84,364 Chepangs, with 23,650 Chepang population in Makawanpur alone.