Sangam Prasain

From now on, every Nepali will have to reside for more than two years in a foreign land (except Saarc nations) to be recognised as a Non-resident Nepali (NRN). The 6th NRN Association (NRNA) general assembly here on Saturday amended its statute to this effect. A proposal forwarded by NRN A President Jiba Lamichhane was approved unanimously at the closed session of the assembly.

Earlier, the NRN A Charter said any Nepali residing in foreign lands (except Saarc nations) for more than 182 days is NRNs. The provision had, however, been contradicting the government’s definition that says anyone who has spent more than two years beyond the Saarc region is an NRN. Given this contradiction, the NRN A had been facing problems registering its office in the country, although it has been operating here since its inception in 2003.

The government had given legal status to the Nepali diaspora by promulgating the NRN Act 2007.

Saturday’s amendment has cleared long-standing hurdles on the way to the NRN A’s bid to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the government, according to the NRN A secretariat.

“This amendment has opened doors for the NRN A to gain official recognition and we will now take forward the process of registering our office in Nepal,” a senior NRN A official said.

In May this year, the Foreign Ministry told the NRN A to resister its office in Nepal and revise the NRN definition. The Ministry communicated its concerns to the NRN A after the latter submitted an amendment it made to the NRN Act (2012), qualifying a Nepali who has spent more than 182 days beyond the Saarc region or a foreign national of Nepali origin to be a member.

A meeting of the NRNA advisory board had in December 2012 forwarded the amendment without a clear definition of an NRN. The ministry had then said the definition was still not clear and asked the NRN A to make it more clear.

The general assembly on Saturday also endorsed two major decisions. According to officials, two mandatory provisions in terms of members and presidency criteria were adopted.

To be eligible for the NRN A president, aspirants should complete at least a year’s term in the executive committee.

Amid criticism that a large number of NRNs were holding their NRN status without residing in foreign lands, the assembly also endorsed a decree that one should compulsorily live in foreign lands to get an official NRN recognition.

The NRNA was established on October 11, 2003, with an aim to unite the Nepali diaspora. The diaspora now boasts around 10 percent of the total population of Nepal.

Although around 80 percent of the diaspora is made up of relatively temporary Nepali workers in the Gulf, North Africa, Southeast and East Asia, many among them are also living there for a long time and are involved in long-term businesses and other enterprises.

The more permanent groups of the diaspora in North America, Western Europe, Oceania and East Asia are also rapidly growing, and are taking increased interest in NRN affairs. The National Coordination Councils serve as the NRNA’s global network, which is currently established in 65 countries.

Election for NRNA president today

Five candidates have filed their nominations so far for the NRN A presidency. The NRN A election commission has given Australia-based Shesh Ghale, UK-based Hitman Gurung, Germany-based Ram Pratap Thapa, UAE-based Rameshwor Shah and Korea-based Tenzi Sherpa until 12 pm on Sunday to withdraw their candidacy if they wish so. The election is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm on Sunday. (PR)

Published on: 20 October 2013 | The Kathmandu Post