Government Expands Courier Services for Digital Public Service Delivery

Kathmandu. The government has accelerated the expansion of government courier services with the goal of making public service delivery digital, organized, and citizen-friendly. By expanding the system of delivering government documents such as passports, driving licenses, and educational certificates to homes, the government is making the traditional service system technology-friendly and easy.

According to the Department of Postal Services, this service has so far been expanded to 60 districts. The department has stated that it is gradually connecting the service system with digital means with the objective of increasing citizens' direct access to services provided by government offices and reducing unnecessary hassle.

Director General of the Department, Manamaya Bhattarai Pangeni, said that a mechanism has been mobilized up to the local level to make the government service delivery system modern and effective. 'We are expanding the service with the goal of ending the situation where citizens have to repeatedly visit offices for ordinary government documents. Despite limited resources, this is gradually starting in all districts,' she said.

According to the department, 29,758 passports have been transported to the respective districts so far. Of these, 1,763 passports have been delivered to the service recipients' homes. The department has stated that the delivery process has become more organized as service recipients' addresses are collected at the time of applying for passports at the District Administration Office.

As part of the effort to make transportation service delivery digital and easy, 475,908 driving licenses have been delivered to the respective transport offices. The department has stated that 672 of these licenses have been delivered to the service recipients' homes.

As part of the effort to make the government service delivery system integrated and multidimensional, the department has also expanded cooperation with various government sectors. So far, 260 educational certificates have been distributed, and in cooperation with the National Public Health Laboratory, 539 laboratory samples have been transported. The department has stated that the laboratory sample transportation service has been started from Surkhet, Banke, and Kathmandu.

Preparations are underway to start the service of delivering SIM cards to homes in collaboration with Nepal Telecom. Similarly, the transportation of question papers, answer sheets, and certificates with Mid-Western University has already started, and discussions are ongoing with Nepal Open University regarding the transportation of educational certificates, the department has stated.

The department has also moved forward with system integration work with various government agencies to make the service system more effective. A study committee has been formed for system interoperability with the Department of Passports, and efforts are underway for system integration with the Office of the Auditor General. The department has stated that the work of upgrading postal codes in the Postal Internal Tracking System (PITS) has also been advanced.

Expansion is also being prepared for international courier services. The department has stated that preparations are underway to expand postal reach to more countries in coordination with air service providers.

Although the government has aimed to transform the traditional postal service into a modern service delivery system, such services are still in the initial stage. Nevertheless, the concept of delivering government services to doorsteps is expected to make public service delivery easier, faster, and more technology-friendly.