KATHMANDU: In a bid to address the persisting delay in license issuance, the government is preparing to print 3 million smart driving licenses within the country through the Security Printing Center.
An informal agreement to this end was reached during a recent meeting between Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, and Security Printing Center Executive Director Devraj Dhungana. Officials from both ministries were also present at the meeting.
Currently, people applying for new licenses or renewals face waiting periods of over a year. Only a limited number of smart licenses are being issued in urgent cases, such as for individuals traveling abroad or members of the security forces. The backlog began when the Department of Transport Management transitioned from paper-based licenses to smart licenses in 2021.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Gurung said printing licenses within the country is a top priority for the government and that technical and physical preparations will begin soon. He added that printing could commence within a year once a formal agreement is signed between the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Security Printing Center.
Similarly, Dhungana said that the printing timeline would be finalized once the plan is approved by the Center’s board of directors.
This move is expected to significantly reduce the current backlog of smart driving licenses, speed up the process and improve overall service delivery. Since the delay in issuing driving licenses has been a major concern among the general public, this initiative is also anticipated to ease public frustration toward government agencies to some extent.
