Foreign job seekers reapply for birth certificate to fake age

BANEPA, March 21: Birth registration is done once. However, it is done twice or more in Kavre district in most cases. Of late, VDC secretaries of the district have registered children’s birth at least twice and issued them two birth certificates.

According to Dharma Raj Kafle, administrative officer at District Administration Office (DAO), Kavre, VDC secretaries of the district don’t bother to verify whether the request for birth certification is genuine or not, which is leading to increased duplication of the certificates.

Kafle said most of the people visiting DAO for issuance of citizenship certificates are young boys. “It’s obvious to us that they haven’t reached the required age to be eligible for citizenship. When asked for school certificates, they say they haven’t studied and produce their birth certificates instead,” he said. “We can’t deny them citizenship after they show required papers.”

The duplication has not only hindered collection of authentic data, it has also led to increase in school drop-out rates. According to the District Education Office, Kavre, around 20 to 30 percent of students drop out of high school annually; the trend which has been consistent for three years.

“Children are admitted to school after verifying their birth date. However, many of them get a duplicate copy of their birth certificate issued to get passport sooner,” said Padam Timilsina, principal of Gokule-2-based Gokule Higher Secondary School.

“Young people drop out of school and go for foreign employment once their passport is issued,” said Timilsina. According to him, as many as 20 students of his school have a duplicate copy of their birth certificates, all of whom aspire for foreign employment.

Suwarna Shrestha, secretary of Dhunkharka VDC, said that most of the VDC secretaries were transferred from other places last year. As they are not familiar with the locals, they may have been registering people twice.

However, Bishwanath Dahal, chairman of VDC Secretaries’ Rights Protection Centre, Kavre, claimed that he was unaware about such issue. “It’s the first time the issue has come to my attention,” said Dahal, adding that he will hold discussions on the matter in the upcoming meeting.

According to Vital Registration Act, 1976, VDC should update personal vital details on monthly basis and send it to District Development Committee’s registration section. However, authentic data cannot be found in the registration section.

Meanwhile, employees at the registration section claimed that VDCs have not been sending them data. According to Gayatri Raman Ghimire, head of the registration section, VDCs have not updated vital registrations since last April.