A Review of Disability Protection in Nepal Through Social Allowance: Policies, Practices, and Paucity

This paper endeavors to paint a comprehensive picture of the social security provision of allowances for persons with disabilities in Nepal. It uses a rapid review to understand the policies and practices related to the social security allowances. The key findings are that the Government of Nepal has several policies focused on upholding the rights of the persons with disabilities; it has prioritized disability allowance as one of the five government-run social security allowances, but the benefits of these policies are yet to reach all persons with disabilities. It was found that a significant proportion of persons with disabilities are yet to receive disability identity cards that link them with social security benefits, and a significant gap was also noted between those who had the identity cards and those who received the disability allowances. Furthermore, the paper underscores suggestions from the extant literature on minimizing this gap.