The District Administration Office, Dadeldhura, on Thursday granted naturalized citizenship to Siwangi, her sister Sandhya, and brother Sishank.
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Wrestler Siwangi Dubey, who was stuck in paperwork for seven years, has finally received naturalized Nepali citizenship.
The District Administration Office, Dadeldhura, on Thursday granted citizenship to Siwangi, her sister Sandhya, and brother Sishank.
Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Koirala said that three members of the same family were granted naturalized citizenship after the provision of granting citizenship in the mother's name was introduced recently. 'For the first time in the district, naturalized citizenship has been distributed in the mother's name,' he said.
Dubey and his siblings have obtained naturalized citizenship as per the fourth amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2063. 'She had been trying since 2076 BS, and finally succeeded,' said Siwangi's mother Radhadevi Roka, 'Due to the lack of citizenship, my daughter had to stop her studies.'
Siwangi said that she had been facing obstacles in her sports life due to the lack of citizenship even after she was born. 'Not having citizenship was an obstacle in her sports life, it was also a problem to play competitions. Now I can confidently participate in training and competitions,' she said. She said that her studies were also stopped due to lack of citizenship and said that she will now continue her education.
Siwangi has won 8 gold medals in national-level wrestling competitions and has won a silver medal for Nepal in international competitions. Competing in the 53 kg weight category under the 13th South Asian Games (SAG), she lost to Indian athlete Pinky Sherawat in the finals.
Siwangi's father Raju Dubey is an Indian citizen, while her mother is Radhika Devi Roka of Amargadhi Municipality-5, Dadeldhura. Raju has been living in Nepal since her marriage. Currently, the family is living in Khaireni, Bhimdatta Municipality-3, Kanchanpur. The Dubey family has been earning a living by working.
Mother Radhika is happy that all three children have obtained citizenship. Expressing her gratitude to the District Administration Office, she said, ‘Now my children’s future is secure.’ Radhika had even applied to the Home Ministry to get citizenship for her three children, including Siwangi, in their father’s name. ‘We had to visit various offices in India and Nepal to get citizenship,’ Radhika said, ‘The citizenship process, which was complicated by many excuses, was completed after 7 years.’
