Kali Bahadur Malla, an 84-year-old man of Dhainkot village in Soru Rural Municipality-10, does not want to be a burden on his son. He uses his elderly allowance to pay for his medicines, clothes, and nutritious food, among other things. But it is not easy for Malla and the like to receive the elderly allowance.

Malla reached Sorukot, the administrative centre of Soru Rural Municipality, on Friday walking two days from his residence to collect his elderly allowance. All senior citizens of the rural municipality have to go to Sorukot to receive their allowance from Rastriya Banijya Bank, the only bank in Soru Rural Municipality.

Dhainkot village is not connected with the road network. And the villagers have no alternative but to walk all the way to the administrative centre.

“Every time I walk to Bhi village on the first day and stay there that night. I reach the bank on the second day. The way back is as arduous. It is very difficult to walk such a long distance at my age,” said Malla.

According to him, the rural municipality had provided the elderly allowance at their door steps until a few years back. Suspecting financial irregularities in the local units while distributing the dole, the government adopted an electronic payment system in the fiscal year 2019/20.

The Nepal government spends on various social security schemes, including medical insurance, allowances, and subsidies. The social security allowance under Article 43 of the Constitution guarantees social security as a fundamental right of poor and vulnerable citizens.

Malla said that it is very good that the government allots us Rs4,000 per month, which the beneficiaries can collect via a bank with which the concerned local unit has an agreement on a four-monthly basis. "It is a very good programme of the government that lets us taste the feel of independence in this old age, but simultaneously it comes at a price. If we have to struggle to get the very money provided for our comfort, then the programme seems ineffective in remote areas. The government should think about and find a more comfortable way to distribute elderly allowances in remote areas like Dhainkot," said Malla.

According to the data of Soru Rural Municipality, there are 700 elderly people and 300 disabled people who get social security benefits in the rural municipality.

According to Keshar Bahadur Shahi, deputy chairman of Soru Rural Municipality, beneficiaries of Dhainkot, Ner, and Tanja villages in Soru have to walk for about two days to reach the only bank in the rural municipality to withdraw their allowance provided by the government. Without road connectivity, these three villages are known to be the remotest villages of the Soru Rural rural municipality.

Shahi said that the government started the distribution of social security allowances for senior citizens through the banking system in order to ensure transparency and prevent embezzlement in the fiscal year 2019/20. “The officials of the concerned ward used to hand over the allowance directly to the beneficiaries upon reaching their homes earlier. Due to a lack of transportation facilities in Dhainkot, Ner, and Tanja villages, elderly and disabled people are forced to walk for two days to collect money from the bank. Construction of roads in such a difficult topography is next to impossible for the rural municipality without the help of the federal and provincial governments," said Shahi.

Like in Dhainkot, Ner, and Tanja villages in Soru Rural Municipality, the beneficiaries from several settlements of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality have the similar ordeal. The villagers of Mugu, Dolphu Chitai, Chhail and Papu of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality have to walk one whole day to reach the designated banks to collect their elderly and disability allowances.

The allowance comes to the local units from the Department of Civil Registration, which is a part of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development and is in charge of managing Nepal’s social security benefits. The government provides a monthly allowance of Rs4,000 to citizens above 68 years, a monthly allowance of Rs2,660 for single women, Rs3,999 for fully disabled people, and Rs2,128 for 'B' category disabled.