- Type
- Regulation
- Year
- २०७६ BS
- Status
- In force
- Category
- खण्ड ४ कः आन्तरिक प्रशासन · Volume 4 A: Internal Administration
- Made under
- The Social Security Act, 2075
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.
What does it do?
- The federal government pays the social security allowances set by Sections 4 to 11 of the Social Security Act (for example for senior citizens, single women, people with disabilities and children) through local governments. A person who qualifies applies in person at the ward office where they live, on a free form, with photographs and a copy of their citizenship certificate (a birth certificate for a child, a disability identity card for a person with a disability, and proof of status for a single woman). A parent, guardian or carer can apply for a child or for someone who cannot come in person. The Department of National ID and Civil Registration, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, oversees the system.सामाजिक सुरक्षा ऐनका दफा ४ देखि ११ सम्मका सामाजिक सुरक्षा भत्ता (जस्तै ज्येष्ठ नागरिक, एकल महिला, अपाङ्गता भएका व्यक्ति र बालबालिकाका लागि) नेपाल सरकारले स्थानीय तहमार्फत दिन्छ। भत्ता पाउन योग्य व्यक्तिले आफू बसेको वडा कार्यालयमा आफैँ उपस्थित भई निःशुल्क फारममा फोटो र नागरिकताको प्रतिलिपिसहित निवेदन दिनुपर्छ (बालबालिकाका लागि जन्मदर्ता, अपाङ्गता भएकाका लागि अपाङ्गता परिचयपत्र र एकल महिलाका लागि सम्बन्धित प्रमाण)। बालबालिका वा आफैँ आउन नसक्नेका तर्फबाट आमाबाबु, संरक्षक वा स्याहार गर्ने व्यक्तिले निवेदन दिन सक्छन्। यो प्रणाली गृह मन्त्रालय अन्तर्गतको राष्ट्रिय परिचयपत्र तथा पञ्जीकरण विभागले हेर्छ। Nepal Law Commission Rule 2(ग), (च); Rule 3(1); Rule 5(1)-(3), (6), PDF pp. 1-4
- The ward committee checks each application, if needed through an inquiry by the ward chair, a ward member or staff, including a home visit when someone else applied on the person's behalf, and sends it with its recommendation to the local government, which records the person as a beneficiary. A person eligible for more than one allowance must choose one, except for the child nutrition allowance. The allowance is paid from the month after the application.वडा समितिले निवेदनको छानबिन गर्छ; आवश्यक परे वडाध्यक्ष, वडा सदस्य वा कर्मचारी खटाई जाँचबुझ गराउँछ र अरूले निवेदन दिएको अवस्थामा घरमै गएर स्थलगत अवलोकन पनि गर्छ। त्यसपछि सिफारिससहित स्थानीय तहमा पठाउँछ र स्थानीय तहले लाभग्राहीको अभिलेख राख्छ। एकभन्दा बढी भत्ता पाउन योग्य व्यक्तिले एउटा मात्र रोज्नुपर्छ, तर बालपोषण भत्तामा यो लागू हुँदैन। निवेदन दिएपछिको महिनादेखि भत्ता पाइन्छ। Nepal Law Commission Rules 6(1)-(5), 7 and 11, PDF pp. 4, 6
- Each beneficiary gets a free social security identity card, valid for one fiscal year (a duplicate costs Rs 100). The card must be renewed by the end of Bhadra every year, normally with the beneficiary attending the ward office in person; the ward committee checks and renews it and the records are updated.हरेक लाभग्राहीलाई एक आर्थिक वर्षसम्म मान्य हुने सामाजिक सुरक्षा परिचयपत्र निःशुल्क दिइन्छ (प्रतिलिपिका लागि रु. १०० लाग्छ)। परिचयपत्र हरेक आर्थिक वर्षको भदौ मसान्तभित्र सामान्यतया लाभग्राही आफैँ वडा कार्यालयमा उपस्थित भई नवीकरण गराउनुपर्छ; वडा समितिले जाँचबुझ गरी नवीकरण गर्छ र अभिलेख अद्यावधिक गरिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission Rule 8(1)-(3) and Rule 9(1)-(5) (as amended by the second amendment), PDF p. 5
- Allowances are paid every four months, or monthly when paid through a bank. In areas covered by Section 17(3) of the Act they must be paid only through the banking system, into an account opened in the beneficiary's name at a nearby licensed bank or financial institution. The local government keeps the main record of beneficiaries, prepares a ward-wise final list, enters payments into the electronic system set by the Department, and sends four-monthly and annual reports to the Department and the province.भत्ता चौमासिक रूपमा दिइन्छ; बैङ्कमार्फत दिँदा मासिक रूपमा पनि दिन सकिन्छ। ऐनको दफा १७(३) बमोजिमका क्षेत्रमा लाभग्राहीको नाममा नजिकको इजाजतप्राप्त बैङ्क वा वित्तीय संस्थामा खाता खोली बैङ्किङ प्रणालीबाट मात्र भत्ता दिनुपर्छ। लाभग्राहीको अभिलेख राख्ने मुख्य जिम्मेवारी स्थानीय तहको हो; स्थानीय तहले वडागत अन्तिम सूची बनाउँछ, वितरणको विवरण विभागले तोकेको विद्युतीय प्रणालीमा प्रविष्ट गर्छ र चौमासिक तथा वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन विभाग र प्रदेशमा पठाउँछ। Nepal Law Commission Rules 10(1)-(7), 12(1)-(7) and 23(1)-(2), PDF pp. 6-7, 12
- When a beneficiary dies or is no longer eligible, the local government must remove the name from the records on the ward committee's recommendation, and it must investigate if it learns that someone received an allowance in breach of the Act. Complaints about offences under the Act go to the local judicial committee, which can order the ward to report within 15 days and must hear the other side before deciding. The mayor or chairperson must monitor records and payments continuously, and the Department may also review the system and recommend improvements.लाभग्राहीको मृत्यु भएमा वा भत्ता पाउन योग्य नरहेमा वडा समितिको सिफारिसमा स्थानीय तहले निजको नाम अभिलेखबाट हटाउनुपर्छ। कसैले ऐनविपरीत भत्ता लिएको जानकारी आएमा स्थानीय तहले छानबिन गर्नु वा गराउनुपर्छ। ऐनअन्तर्गतको कसुरबारे स्थानीय तहको न्यायिक समितिमा उजुरी दिन सकिन्छ; समितिले वडा कार्यालयलाई १५ दिनभित्र प्रतिवेदन दिन आदेश दिन सक्छ र निर्णयअघि अर्को पक्षलाई सुनुवाइको मौका दिनुपर्छ। गाउँपालिका अध्यक्ष वा नगरपालिका प्रमुखले अभिलेख र भत्ता वितरणको निरन्तर अनुगमन गर्नुपर्छ; विभागले पनि अध्ययन गरी सुधारका लागि सिफारिस गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission Rule 13(1)-(3), PDF p. 7; Rule 19, PDF pp. 10-11; Rule 20(1)-(5), PDF p. 11; Rule 22(1)-(4), PDF p. 12
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Not enforced Beneficiary records still include duplicates and people who have died. Rule 13 requires names of deceased or ineligible people to be removed. The Auditor General found that in 2080/81, 170 local governments paid Rs 39.4 million more than due by issuing two or more cards to beneficiaries with the same citizenship number and date of birth and by not removing deceased beneficiaries; in 2081/82, 177 local governments overpaid Rs 26.5 million in the same ways. It also found that local governments had not worked out and recovered amounts paid in earlier years to beneficiaries later cut from the central information system.लाभग्राहीको अभिलेखमा अझै दोहोरो नाम र मृत्यु भइसकेका व्यक्ति छन्। नियम १३ ले मृत्यु भएका वा योग्य नरहेकाको नाम हटाउनुपर्ने भनेको छ। महालेखापरीक्षकका अनुसार २०८०/८१ मा १७० स्थानीय तहले एउटै नागरिकता नम्बर र जन्ममिति भएका लाभग्राहीलाई दुई वा बढी परिचयपत्र दिएर र मृतकको नाम नहटाई रु. ३ करोड ९४ लाख ३२ हजार बढी खर्च गरे; २०८१/८२ मा १७७ स्थानीय तहले यसै गरी रु. २ करोड ६४ लाख ७५ हजार बढी निकासा गरे। केन्द्रीय सूचना प्रणालीबाट लगत कट्टा भएका लाभग्राहीलाई विगतमा भुक्तानी भएको रकम यकिन गरी असुल नगरेको पनि उल्लेख छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 62nd Annual Report, local levels section, paras 54.1-54.2, printed pp. 889-890 (PDF pp. 929-930); OAG 63rd Annual Report, local levels section, paras 42.1-42.2, printed p. 921 (PDF p. 975); Rules 12-13, PDF pp. 6-7
- Capacity Bank payments are not tracked, so allowances may keep going to accounts of people who have died. Rule 19(e) makes the Department responsible for making allowance records reliable using electronic means. The Auditor General reported that the government released Rs 110.20 billion to 3,829,473 beneficiaries in 2080/81 and Rs 114.41 billion to 3,806,634 beneficiaries in 2081/82, but the Department of National ID and Civil Registration had no system to track inactive beneficiary accounts and did not monitor distribution; in 2081/82 it warned that this left a risk of allowances continuing to flow into the accounts of deceased people. In 2080/81 it also found 105 local governments had not recovered Rs 138.6 million left in banks as inactive balances or as money remaining after distribution.बैङ्कमार्फत गएको भत्ताको ट्र्याकिङ नहुँदा मृतकको खातामा भत्ता गइरहने जोखिम छ। नियम १९(ङ) ले भत्ताको अभिलेखलाई विद्युतीय माध्यमबाट भरपर्दो बनाउने जिम्मा विभागलाई दिएको छ। महालेखापरीक्षकका अनुसार सरकारले २०८०/८१ मा ३८ लाख २९ हजार ४७३ लाभग्राहीलाई रु. १ खर्ब १० अर्ब १९ करोड र २०८१/८२ मा ३८ लाख ६ हजार ६३४ लाभग्राहीलाई रु. १ खर्ब १४ अर्ब ४१ करोड निकासा गरेको छ, तर राष्ट्रिय परिचयपत्र तथा पञ्जीकरण विभागसँग निष्क्रिय खाता ट्र्याक गर्ने प्रणाली छैन र वितरणको अनुगमन भएको देखिएन; २०८१/८२ को प्रतिवेदनले यसले मृतकको खातामा भत्ता गइरहने जोखिम रहेको भनेको छ। २०८०/८१ मा १०५ स्थानीय तहले बैङ्कमा निष्क्रिय मौज्दात र वितरणपछि बचेको रु. १३ करोड ८६ लाख २३ हजार फिर्ता नलिएको पनि भेटिएको थियो। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 62nd Annual Report, MoHA chapter, para 20, printed p. 306 (PDF p. 336); OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoHA chapter, para 20, printed p. 268 (PDF p. 300); OAG 62nd Annual Report, local levels section, para 54.3, printed p. 890 (PDF p. 930); Rules 10(3)-(5) and 19(ङ), PDF pp. 6, 11
- Capacity A performance audit found weaknesses across the allowance system. The Auditor General's performance audit of the social security allowance programme found that the information systems were not regularly maintained or upgraded, older people's fingerprints often could not be verified, retina scanners were lacking, uploaded documents disappeared and had to be uploaded again, beneficiary records were not up to date, electronic payment was not well organised, and some citizens already receiving state benefits were also getting the allowance.कार्यमूलक लेखापरीक्षणले भत्ता प्रणालीमा धेरै कमजोरी देखाएको छ। सामाजिक सुरक्षा भत्ता कार्यक्रमको प्रभावकारितासम्बन्धी महालेखापरीक्षकको कार्यमूलक लेखापरीक्षणले सूचना प्रणालीको नियमित मर्मत र स्तरोन्नति नभएको, ज्येष्ठ नागरिकको औँठाछाप रुजु नहुने, रेटिना स्क्यान उपकरण नभएको, अपलोड गरेका कागजात आफैँ हट्ने भएकाले फेरि अपलोड गर्नुपर्ने, लाभग्राहीको अभिलेख अद्यावधिक नभएको, विद्युतीय भुक्तानी प्रणाली व्यवस्थित नभएको र राज्यबाट सुविधा लिइरहेका नागरिकले पनि भत्ता पाएको देखाएको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission OAG 63rd Annual Report, chapter 3 summary of performance audits, para 122, printed p. 52 (PDF p. 82); Rules 12(7), 13 and 19(ङ), PDF pp. 7, 11
Ideas to fix it
- Develop a system to track banking records of allowance payments and monitor distribution effectively, as the law requires.कानूनबमोजिम सामाजिक सुरक्षा भत्ता वितरणको बैङ्किङ अभिलेख ट्र्याक गर्ने पद्धति विकास गरी प्रभावकारी अनुगमन गर्ने। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal
- Update beneficiary records, removing duplicates and deceased people, so that social security spending reflects reality.दोहोरो र मृतकको नाम हटाई लाभग्राहीको अभिलेख अद्यावधिक गर्ने र सामाजिक सुरक्षा खर्चलाई यथार्थपरक बनाउने। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal
Where does it conflict with other laws?
No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.