BAITADI, Nov 21: In view of facilitating Indian ex-servicemen to receive their pension, local authorities in Baitadi have decided to open Jhulaghat entry point along the Nepal-India border point in the far western Nepal for five days. The border point remains closed for the past several months as the government has decided to restrict cross-border movement to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The border point will open from November 23 to 27 in order to help Indian pensioners to collect their pension amounts, said Assistant Chief District Officer (CDO) of Baitadi Lokendra Singh Negi. “As the pensioners could not go to India to collect their pensions, the local government officials from both the countries agreed to open the border for five days.”
In addition to Indian ex-servicemen, other people can also travel across the border for emergency purposes, according to Assistant CDO Negi.
The pensioners have not been able to collect their pensions since March as the country went into the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although the lockdown was lifted on July 21, the restriction imposed on cross-border movement is still in place. There are more than 1,200 Indian pensioners in Baitadi district alone, according to the local administration.