NTA urged to make its services accessible, efficient and reliable

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Parbat Gurung has urged Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to expand its services so as to directly benefit the people.

Addressing the NTA's 23rd anniversary function here today, he suggested making the Authority's services easy, qualitative, reliable and credible. 

"The telecom service has become urban-centric than rural-centric. The Rural Development Fund also has been used for the development of telecommunications infrastructures in the urban area. Now it is necessary to extend this service to the villages along with the development of the allied infrastructures," the Communications and Information Technology Minister said.

He also pointed out the need of carrying out research and assessment to make the country's telecommunications services competitive in the international sector. 

On a separate topic, Minister Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson, said the talks between the government and the Netra Bikram Chand-led group have become successful, and expressed the confidence that peace will prevail in the country now.

Stating that the political instability would also come to an end now, he claimed an investment-friendly climate would be created in the country with that.

Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Hari Prasad Basyal directed the NTA to expand the Internet to the villages to support the government's policy of making the education sector ICT-friendly.

NTA Chair Purushottam Khanal shared that so far Internet access has been reached to 542 local levels excluding the Kathmandu Valley, to 4,412 local unit ward offices, to 3,126 health centres and to 3,714 community schools across the country. 

He said that information technology equipment has been installed in cent per cent schools as per the goal of reaching ICT to the community schools.