By Nayak Paudel

Morang, May 22: Activists have demanded the government to not implement its decision of revoking allowance provided to single women aged below 60 years and people with severe disability (blue-card holders).
Even when the prevailing law states single women aged above 60 years to be eligible for the allowance, the Supreme Court in 2010 had directed the government to provide the allowance to single women irrespective of their age following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by women activists and single women.
While the government began to provide the allowance after the directive from the Supreme Court, it recently decided to halt the facility.
Issuing a notice regarding Social Security Allowance on May 15, the Department of National ID and Civil Registration mentioned that a single woman aged below 60 years would receive the allowance only after the government issued a notice in Nepal Gazette regarding minimum income and other criteria.
The Vital Event Registration and Social Protection system posted the notice regarding the retraction allowance through its Facebook page on May 18.
Along with revoking the provision of providing allowance to single women, the notice also states that the disabled individuals who are blue-card holder will not receive the allowance.
“The allowance has helped continue my life because I don’t have anyone to look after me regularly. While the lockdown is going on and there is no source of income, how can the government decide to revoke the allowance? How does it expect us to continue our living?” questioned Kalpana Baral, a 56-year-old single woman from Ward 9 of Pathari-Shanishchare Municipality.
According to activists, the government has taken an unethical step by revoking the allowance and they are totally against the step.
“The government should be increasing the allowance, not revoking it. Even in the hard time of COVID-19 and lockdown, the government has decided to make its citizens who feel relieved with the allowance they receive suffer more,” said Lily Thapa, founding chairperson of Women for Human Rights and one of the activists who had filed the PIL at the Supreme Court.
Thapa also shared the data of 2011 census which showed that 86 per cent of single women were illiterate and 67 per cent of single women were aged between 20-35 years.
Similarly, activists have also demanded the government should fulfill all the necessary activities regarding the criteria so single women aged below 60 years and disabled individuals with blue-card can receive the allowance.
“Would a government employee accept if the salary is not provided? They cannot. Then how could they expect a single woman and those with disability to continue their livelihood without the allowance?” asked Tika Dahal, president at Nepal Disabled Women Association.
According to the activists, the government should focus on providing more facility to the single women, people with disability and those who cannot afford regular meal rather than revoking the minimum service they receive.
“We will be bound to come to the streets in any condition if the government sticks to its decision of revoking the allowance. We will have no other choice than to fight for the rights,” said Dahal.