Parliamentary Committee Discusses Passport Printing Corruption

Kathmandu. The issue of corruption and irregularities in the passport printing process has been raised in the parliamentary committee. On Tuesday, in the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee under the House of Representatives, MPs from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) strongly raised the issue of corruption and irregularities in the passport printing process. In the meeting, RSP MPs Vikram Thapa and Khagendra Sunar demanded that the committee immediately investigate, stating that the state has suffered losses of billions in passport printing. Speaking in the meeting, Congress MP Janakraj Joshi said that the issue of corruption and irregularities amounting to approximately 10 billion 13 crore rupees in the passport purchase process is very serious. He said, "This is an issue related to Nepal's sovereignty and national security. The Public Accounts Committee must ensure transparency and accountability in the dispute and corruption seen in this." MP Joshi also proposed to summon all documents related to the passport department from the Ministry of Home Affairs, conduct a special audit by the Office of the Auditor General, and arrange for independent technical review to prevent such disputes in the future. Another MP, Khagendra Sunar, said that the passport case is a current hot topic and that the files should be summoned and studied to understand the intentions of those involved. He said, "Citizens going abroad are facing great hardship due to the lack of passports. The committee needs to look into how much the state has been harmed by this corruption and who are involved." MP Sunar emphasized that the Public Accounts Committee should not just follow tradition but should delve deep into the system and provide necessary directives for action against the guilty. Similarly, MP Vikram Thapa also supported the need for the committee to pay attention to the delay and financial irregularities in passport printing and to give clear directives to the government. RSP MPs have demanded that the Public Accounts Committee be more active for transparency in public spending and good governance and that such major corruption scandals be brought to a conclusion.