Nepali Samaj India, an organization of expatriate Nepalis, submitted a memorandum to the Nepali Embassy in Delhi on Tuesday, making this demand.
What you should know
Nepalis living abroad in India have demanded voting rights. While the issue of granting voting rights to Nepalis living abroad is under debate, Nepalis living in India have also raised their voices.
Nepali Samaj India, an organization of expatriate Nepalis, submitted a memorandum to the Nepali Embassy in Delhi on Tuesday, demanding that the Nepali society in India also provide the same facility in the upcoming elections. A delegation of the Nepali society met Nepali Ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma and drew his attention to the Supreme Court's decision to provide voting rights to expatriate Nepalis. The society's general secretary RB Khadka said that the Supreme Court's decision has not been implemented even after a long period of time, so they have demanded the Nepali government to implement it practically through the embassy. The society has also drawn the attention of the embassy on various other issues. Khadka said that they have requested for initiatives to solve the problems faced by Nepalis in opening bank accounts in India. Many banks in India are not accepting Nepali passports, citizenship certificates and letters attested by the Nepali embassy. Due to this, Nepalis in India for study and employment are not able to open bank accounts, Khadka said. ‘As a result, the economic activities of thousands of workers, laborers, students and businessmen have come to a standstill,’ he said, ‘The embassy has requested the Reserve Bank of India to take initiative to resolve the problems faced by Nepalis.’ The Nepali society is demanding that Nepalis be allowed to open accounts based on proof of their Nepali citizenship.
In the past, Nepali citizens were allowed to open accounts in India based on Nepali citizenship. However, in the last few years, Aadhaar card and PAN card have been made mandatory for opening accounts. This is causing problems for Nepalis in banking. Similarly, Khadka said that the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ initiated by the Election Commission of India in various states has directly affected the residence, employment, movement and daily life of Nepali citizens. He informed that the embassy has requested Ambassador Sharma to take initiative with the Indian government to resolve the difficulties faced by overseas Nepalis through diplomatic channels.
The Nepali society has also demanded the establishment of a migrant support desk at the embassy for coordination, information exchange and assistance with Nepalis living in India. Khadka informed that the embassy has been urged to take active diplomatic initiatives to resolve the common issues of Nepali citizens living in India.
