KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 21
Smart driving licenses printed by the Security Printing Centre have been handed over to the Department of Transport Management.
The Centre reported that test printing of the QR-code–based licenses has been successful. According to Executive Director Dev Raj Dhungana, 520 licenses were delivered to the Department in the first phase. In the second phase, the Centre has received the details of 1,200 applicants, and full-scale printing is currently underway. The quality of the printed licenses was verified in a domestic laboratory prior to delivery.
Department IT Director Keshab Khatiwada described this milestone as a significant step toward resolving the license-related challenges that the Department has faced over the past four to five years.
The Centre and the Department had signed an agreement on October 29, under which the Centre is tasked with printing and supplying 1.2 million driving licenses within six months. Printing commenced on November 7 at the Centre in Panauti Municipality-5, Kavrepalanchok, and was inaugurated by Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Jagdish Kharel.
Director Dhungana affirmed that the Centre is fully capable of meeting the printing targets stipulated in the agreement. Beyond driving licenses, the Centre is preparing to commence printing postage stamps within a few days, followed by citizenship certificates, excise stickers, land ownership certificates (lalpurja), and visa stickers.
The new smart cards will employ QR codes instead of embedded chips and will incorporate advanced security measures. Each card will feature up to three layers of security technology and 34 distinct security features-both visible and invisible.
(With inputs from Rastriya Samchar Samiti)
