KATHMANDU, JULY 31

The Ministry of Home Affairs has withdrawn its decision to discontinue social security allowance to differently-abled persons bearing blue card and single women below 60 years of age following intense criticism from all quarters.

After amendments to Social Security Act-2018 and Social Security Rules-2019, were published in the Nepal Gazette, MoHA had issued a circular to all local levels through Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, directing them to abide by the new rules with effect from final four-monthly tranche of the fiscal 2019-20.

A report of the MoHA punished yesterday said that single women of all age groups and differently-abled persons holding cards of any colour would continue to enjoy the social security allowance.

“A proposal submitted to a meeting of the Council of Ministers with regard to continuation of social security allowance has been approved.

Therefore, no beneficiary of social security allowance will be deprived of the facilities they have been enjoying,” read the report.

The government has mandated local levels to distribute social security allowance to the listed beneficiaries through banking channels.

Blue card is issued to persons with severe disability under ‘B’ category, as per Procedure for Distribution of Identification Card to Persons with Disabilities.

Severe disability is the condition of having to continuously take other people’s assistance to carry out individual daily activities and take part in social activities.

Blue card holders differently-abled persons and single women have been receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,600, respectively.

Various parliamentary panels, National Human Rights Commission, the main opposition Nepali Congress, civil society and National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal had objected to the government’s decision to scrap the allowance to blue card holders differently-abled persons and single women below 60 years of age amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the beneficiaries depend on social security allowance to support their medical care.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 1, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.