Kavrepalanchok. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dr Bikram Timilsina, reached the security printing centre at Panauti municipality-5 in Kavre district and took stock of the latest situation of printing driving licenses.

In course of the inspection, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Timilsina said the situation of people not getting the license for a long time after passing the trial period was going to be ended at a time when the government was prioritizing improvement in public service delivery.

He also informed that the license can be printed and handed over within 24 hours of payment of revenue after passing the trial. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Timilsina said the government has set a target to print all remaining licenses by mid-July by expediting the printing process.

“Now the tendency to stop the possible work as impossible will end. “The process of completing the printing process within 24 hours of paying revenue has come into effect from today ending the problem of not getting the license for months after passing the trial,” he said.

On the occasion, Minister Timilsina stressed on the need of developing the Security Printing Centre as an important asset of the state and an institution with potential. Stating that making the Centre effective since the first day he assumed the Ministry has been his priority, he said problems were complicated in various bodies in the past due to lack of willpower and promptness. He stressed the need to increase institutional responsibility by resolving these problems.

Minister Timilsina directed the authorities concerned for the effective use of equipment and expressed dissatisfaction over equipment purchased with huge investment lying out of use for years. He stressed on the need of using equipments, generators and other materials worth around one billion. He also questioned why the machines that were lying idle for the past three years were brought into operation now and printing was possible.

On the occasion, Minister Dr Timilsina directed the government to accord top priority to the data security of citizens and made it clear that the government would be operated only for the welfare of the people. “The government is run as per people’s aspirations, not in interest of anybody,” he asserted. He also said that the Ministry was committed to work keeping the service seekers at the centre, hearing the complaints and resolving them.

Likewise, improving the quality and access of mobile network and internet service across the country is also a priority for the Ministry, said Minister Timilsina. He said that the goal is to bring all the citizens of the country accessible to technology within the next one year by resolving the complaints about the service quality of Nepal Telecom.

Executive Director of the Secure Printing Press, Devraj Dhungana, said that the business plan was being prepared with the objective of strengthening the institution in the long term. He said that in future, passport, cheque book, smartcard, postal stamp, excise sticker and other important documents can be printed from this centre. According to Dhungana, the Centre has submitted a detailed plan with a budget of around eight billion rupees.

According to Executive Director Dhungana, around 40,000 licenses are being printed on a daily basis. According to him, the Department of Transport Management has been receiving around one thousand applications daily for the license required for Nepali citizens going abroad. According to him, the target is to print 12 lakh licenses by April 26 and the remaining 17 lakh by mid-July.

Lawmakers Madhu Kumar Chaulagain, Dr Ram Lama and Badan Kumar Bhandari were also present on the occasion. On the occasion, Minister Timilsina took stock of the physical infrastructure, machinery and condition of vacant buildings of the Centre.