Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs Shishir Khanal has expressed commitment to resolve legal obstacles preventing non-resident Nepalis (NRNs) from fully exercising the rights granted under their citizenship status within the current fiscal year.
Speaking at a ceremony on Monday to receive DNA kits provided by former Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) President Kul Acharya and UK-based businessman and philanthropist Uttam Nepal, Khanal reiterated the government’s commitment to addressing the issue.
“I have already stated at a program in Australia that we will remove the legal barriers to NRN citizenship within the current fiscal year. We are all working toward this goal,” Khanal said.
He said the government had accorded strategic importance to issues concerning Nepalis living abroad and was working to strengthen their ties with Nepal.
“We are working carefully to ensure that those who have already obtained NRN citizenship do not face difficulties in exercising their basic rights,” he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said the government was aware of the practical difficulties faced by NRN citizenship holders and was working to address them through amendments to certain Nepal laws.
Rai said around 7,500 people had obtained NRN citizenship. “However, some of them have been forced to revert to using their NRNA cards because of difficulties in exercising their rights,” he added.
Former NRNA President Kul Acharya urged the government to create an enabling environment for the immediate implementation of NRN citizenship in line with the principle of “Once a Nepali, always a Nepali.”
At the event, Uttam Nepal, a director of London-based Yumi International Ltd, handed Minister Khanal a check for Rs 10 million for the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.
