Top News

Knews Desk-These days, a big campaign is being run in the Seemanchal region of Bihar, adjacent to the India-Nepal border, regarding the citizenship of Nepali daughters-in-law. Purnia district administration has started a special process for Nepali women who are married to Indian citizens and have been living in India for a long time. The aim of this initiative is to connect these women with the process of Indian citizenship.

According to the administration, a large number of women of Nepali origin are living after marriage in Indian families in districts like Purnia, Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj, Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura of Seemanchal. Many of these women have been living in India for years, but due to not getting citizenship, they are deprived of government schemes and many facilities.

Now under the rules of the Central Government, the application process in such cases has been simplified. The district administration has started organizing camps at the block level and giving information to women about the necessary documents and online application process. The applicant will have to apply online on the portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs and deposit the prescribed fee. For the application, marriage certificate, residence certificate, affidavit, passport and documents to husband’s Indian citizenship are required. The administration has also constituted a special task force to ease the process, which includes police, election department and block level officials.

Amidst this campaign, the discussion on the difference in citizenship rules in India-Nepal relations has also intensified. Locals say that while India is simplifying the citizenship process for Nepalese women, the rules for Indian citizens in Nepal are quite strict. Indian men in Nepal neither get easy citizenship nor are allowed to buy property. Apart from this, tensions have also been seen in Nepal in recent years regarding restrictions on border trade, vehicle entry and small transactions. On the other hand, in India the process of citizenship on the basis of marriage is considered relatively easy.

At present, this campaign is progressing rapidly in Seemanchal region and a large number of applications are coming in. The administration believes that this will provide legal strength to the social and family relations in the border area and India-Nepal relations that have been going on for years will become more clear and systematic.