A month's work progress: From smart license printing to passports at home, the formal way for 5G expansion is open

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has said that in one month after the minister assumed office, the ministry and its subordinate agencies have initiated various works of service improvement, digital system expansion, telecommunication quality improvement and government reform. According to the ministry, the programs that will directly benefit the citizens have been implemented by prioritizing the 100-point government reform agenda of the Nepal government. Speed ​​up smart license printing

Speed ​​has been given in the printing of driver's license i.e. smart license through the Security Printing Center under the Ministry. According to the ministry, arrangements have been made to print the new application license and hand it over to the department within 24 hours of receiving the data from the transport system department. During this period, according to the agreement, 1.2 million smart licenses have been printed. In addition, an agreement has been reached between the Department of Transport Management and Surakshan Printing Center to complete the printing of 1.7 million more old driver's licenses by the end of June. The ministry has also said that 3 million postage stamps have been printed and handed over to the Postal Service Department.

Extension of Government Courier Services With the aim of modernizing the postal service, the Ministry has launched the concept of 'Government Courier Service'. Under this, passport home delivery service has been started. At present, arrangements have been made to deliver passports to homes in Calikot, Sindhupalchok, Banke, Kaski, Sunsari, Makwanpur, Myagdi, Siraha, Dadeldhura and Gulmi, the ministry said. The process of service expansion has also been started in Gorkha, Sankhuwasabha, Sindhuli and Saptari. Similarly, with the aim of providing closer services to the citizens, the current 5-digit postal code has been upgraded to a 7-digit code as per the federal structure.

Improvements in telecommunication services The ministry has also said that some important decisions have been taken to improve the quality of telecommunication services. The duration of all prepaid service packages of Nepal Telecom has been increased from 28 days to 30 days. In the Pay-As-You-Go system, where the balance is automatically deducted after the data package is over, the user is provided with the option to enable or disable PAYG. Also, provision has been made to give mandatory advance notice after 90 percent of data is consumed. It has been decided to provide additional 2x5 MHz frequency in 800 MHz band to improve the quality of 4G service. According to the ministry, the way to expand 5G technology has also been opened by opening the 3300-3700 MHz band for mobile services.

Citizen Apps and Digital Services Extension As part of the Digital Nepal Campaign, more features have been included in the citizen app. Version 2.0.94 of the app has added the facility to download police report, Nepal Engineering Council certificate and Public Service Commission admit card with tracking. According to the Ministry, an API has been arranged to send the demographic data of the National ID in the citizen app to the systems of the Passport Department and the Department of Transportation so that it can be auto-filled when scanning the QR code with the consent of the person. Likewise, efforts have been made to make the Government Integrated Office Management System effective, to make the integrated website of the Government of Nepal accessible according to international standards, and to train the IT liaison staff of 30 agencies.

Over 11,000 betting apps and websites closed According to the ministry, more than 11,000 betting apps and websites have been closed by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority. The work of conducting Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing Security Audit of government agencies through the National Cyber ​​Security Center has been accelerated. Also, security monitoring of government systems has been strengthened through SIEM tool. "Zero Remaining File Week" in the Ministry

As part of government reform, 'Zero Remaining File Week' has been conducted in ministries and subordinate agencies. The ministry said that this campaign was launched to end administrative delays. The employee code of conduct has been implemented and the ministry has prepared and implemented an action plan with 10 major tasks, deadlines, responsible officers and key performance indicators within 7 days. Procedures, standards and monitoring systems have been started to make service delivery simple, fast and result-oriented through Business Process Re-engineering. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has also informed that the draft of the Information Technology Bill and Cyber ​​Security Bill has been approved in principle by the Ministry.

Inclusive broadcasting and other improvements Broadcasting of more inclusive programs including the endangered Athapaharia Rai and Mudiyari languages has been started through Radio Nepal. Optical fiber has been installed from Nepal Television's studio to New Parliament Building for high quality live broadcast. According to the Ministry, coordination between the Advertising Board, Telecommunication Authority and the Department of Foreign Employment has been initiated to prevent unauthorized advertisements of foreign employment through social media.

The Ministry has claimed that policy reforms, technology-friendly services and citizens will feel direct benefits have been initiated within a month. The ministry said that these actions will be carried forward more effectively in the coming days.