Minister Timilsina Outlines Digital Infrastructure Expansion and Service Modernization

Kathmandu. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Vikram Timilsina, stated that the government is working with special priority for the qualitative improvement of the country's telecommunication services and the expansion of digital infrastructure. On Wednesday, while responding to the queries raised by the members of parliament on the ministry's allocated budget in the House of Representatives meeting, Minister Timilsina informed the house about the steps taken to modernize the communication sector and bring effectiveness in service delivery. According to Minister Timilsina, 'Fiber to the Home' (FTTH) service has been provided in the headquarters of all 77 districts, and the work to expand this service to all wards of municipalities and rural municipalities has already begun. Similarly, the work of laying optical fiber along major road sections including the Mid-Hilly Highway has been intensified. He stated that infrastructure for mobile networks has been operationalized in 763 locations so far, and the procurement process for an additional 1597 BTS and E-Node-B will be advanced in the next fiscal year. Addressing the MPs' complaints that postal services are limited to the old style, Minister Timilsina clarified that the government is working to make it fast, efficient, and technology-friendly. An allocation of 2 crore 50 lakh rupees has been made for the construction of information technology infrastructure in 50 more local level post offices in the next fiscal year. He clarified that the overall modernization of postal services will be done through the Nepal Digital Transformation Project (NDTP). He also provided information that the service of delivering important documents like passports, licenses, and land ownership certificates to homes through post is currently underway in 62 districts. The minister stated that the government has focused on policy changes and infrastructure development for the promotion of the film sector. Mentioning that a new bill related to films is under discussion in the parliamentary committee, he said that the government is committed to establishing films as a systematic industry. The state-of-the-art shooting studio under construction in Banepa, Kavre, is targeted to be completed within the next year. Additionally, a special provision of 3 crore 50 lakh rupees in grants has been made for the first time for the production of films of cultural and national importance. The minister claimed that old problems in the field of security printing have been resolved and significant improvements have been made. Out of a total of 29 lakh, the remaining 18 lakh vehicle driving licenses have been printed, and preparations are underway to complete the entire backlog within this fiscal year. The security printing center has been organized to provide licenses immediately upon demand from the next fiscal year, and a budget of 32 crore 47 lakh rupees has been allocated for this next year. Responding to the questions raised by the MPs regarding budget shortage and transparency, Minister Timilsina claimed that despite limited resources, sufficient budget has been allocated for modern digital infrastructure such as AI, cybersecurity, and data economy. He refuted the MPs' query that details of a budget exceeding 3 billion rupees are not disclosed, i.e., kept in reserve, stating that every budget heading of the ministry has been transparently entered into the LMBIS system and pledged that not a single rupee will be misused. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Timilsina expressed his commitment to take the constructive suggestions of the MPs as a guide for performance and to provide services with more accountability in the coming days.