Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi, announced that senior citizens aged 68 and above will now be eligible for the social security allowance starting next fiscal year.
Currently, the benefit is provided to those aged 70 and above.
Responding to queries in the House of Representatives, Minister Sudi stated, "From the fiscal year 2082/83, the government will provide social security allowances to citizens aged 68 years and above."
Under the existing Social Security Act, Dalits and single elderly women qualify for the allowance at 60, while others must wait until 70. However, Minister Sudi highlighted challenges, including cases where elderly citizens like 72-year-old Magina Sada of Saptari lack access to the allowance due to missing citizenship documents. "Without citizenship certificates, they cannot obtain social security IDs," he explained.
The minister also addressed inefficiencies in NGO-funded projects, noting that while over 1,300 local and 20 international NGOs were approved for programs this year, full compliance remains an issue.
The announcement follows a directive from Speaker Devraj Ghimire regarding additional ministerial responsibilities.
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