KATHMANDU - The National ID Card is now mandatory in Nepal for accessing public services, but distribution has been met with uncertainty and inefficiency. The card is required for banking, financial institutions, telephone, SIM cards, Social Security Fund, and real estate transactions. Opposition has emerged, with only 9 million individuals obtaining one out of 14.8 million. To address this, the government should make the card's necessity and benefits clear, implement it promptly, and implement strong data security procedures.

During the cabinet meeting held on June 6, 2024, it was decided that citizenship would not be mandatory and a national identity card would be sufficient to access any government services. This notice was officially published in the Nepal Rajpatra on Ashadh 10, 2081 (June 24, 2024) and is also mentioned in Section 3 of the National Identity Card and Vital Registration Act, 2076.

The government is planning to make the national identity card mandatory, and the decision will be implemented in three phases. To access facilities related to social security, health security, insurance, pensions, personal income tax, vehicle driver permits, company registration, etc, the national ID card number must be shown starting from the 1st of Shrawan 2081 (July 16, 2024) in the Terai Madhesh, some parts of the hilly region, Inner Madhesh, Kathmandu District, and in 11 districts of the Himalayan Region which is the first and second phases of making the National ID card obligatory.

The National Identity Card is required throughout Nepal starting from the date 2081/10/01 for services related to banking and financial institutions, telephone and SIM cards, Social Security Fund, and real estate transactions, which is the third and final phase.

However, a strong opposition has emerged regarding the government's decision to implement this decision without even distributing the cards to the people. 

Otherwise the public will continue to suffer from the inefficiency and incompetence of government workers in the absence of these improvements. We urge the relevant government authorities to act decisively and ensure that national identity cards are accessible to all citizens.Currently, only 9 million out of 14.8 million applicants have received their cards. Issues also include proposed additions of sensitive information on the card and continued reliance on multiple documents for some services.

Privacy concerns have been raised under Article 28 of the Nepalese Constitution, which guarantees the Right to Privacy. Without proper data security measures, the extensive personal data accessible via the National ID could lead to privacy violations.

To address these issues, the government should expedite card distribution, enhance public communication, train officials, and implement strong data protection measures. These steps are crucial to avoid ongoing public inconvenience and ensure effective implementation of the National ID system.