We dusted off idle machines & restarted license printing: Minister Kharel

KATHMANDU: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Jagadish Kharel, has officially inaugurated the printing of smart driving licenses from the Security Printing Center (SPC) in Banepa, Kavrepalanchowk.

Reaching the Shree Khadipur-based Security Printing Center, Minister Kharel commenced the long-awaited printing process, marking a significant step toward national self-reliance.

The domestic resumption of license printing, after a prolonged halt, is expected to ease the difficulties faced by thousands of service seekers across the country.

“Despite several legal and technical complications, initiating the printing of this sensitive document within the country is a major achievement,” Minister Kharel said. He added that this step would not only ensure data security but also save billions of rupees that were previously spent on foreign printing contracts.

He highlighted that the printing machines and equipment, which had remained unused and covered in dust for nearly three years, were restored and brought back into operation. “The machines were lying idle, the place looked abandoned. Today we have dusted everything and restarted the work,” he said.

According to the Minister, around 2.8 million driving licenses are still pending. He expressed commitment that starting domestic printing will reassure the public of the government’s dedication to good governance and efficient service delivery.

On the occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Chairperson of the Security Printing Center, Radhika Aryal, noted the day as historic. She stated, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and today that step begins with printing the driving licenses.” She reaffirmed that the Center will move forward to print all types of security-sensitive documents domestically, in line with the Center Act.

Mayor of Panauti Municipality, Ram Sharan Bhandari, expressed enthusiasm and pledged necessary support from the municipality to ensure the sustainability of the printing operation. He described the restart as an effective utilization of state property.

According to Executive Director of the Center, Devraj Dhungana, the Center’s advanced machinery is capable of printing not just driving licenses, but also citizenship certificates, excise stickers, visa stickers, land ownership certificates (Lal Purja), postage stamps, and other sensitive security documents. He stated that under the MoU signed between the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) and the Center, the first phase will see the printing of 1.2 million smart licenses within six months.

So far, nearly Rs 3 billion has been invested in the center.

Similarly, Acting Director General of the Department of Transport Management, Narahari Tiwari, said that the resumption of license printing would bring relief to service seekers, noting that about 3 million cards had already been paid for but not delivered due to the printing halt.

New Security Features Introduced:

The new driving license cards will not contain the previous embedded chip but will include high-level security features.

• The new card will include a QR code

• Traffic police will be able to verify licenses offline through QR scanning

• The card will have 34 different visible and invisible security layers

• Although categorized as “smart,” the card will employ more refined security technologies than earlier chip-based cards

Under the agreement signed last Jestha between DoTM and the Center, around 2.8 million pending licenses will be printed gradually.