Disaster recovery centre being constructed in Hetaunda

KATHMANDU: Representatives from Ministry of Science and Technology, Korean Embassy, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and National Information Technology Centre (NITC) visited a construction site of a Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC) to inspect its progress, in Hetaunda.

Minister for Science and Technology Shiva Lal Thapa, Korean Ambassador to Nepal Choe Yong-jin, KOICA Country Director HyungKyoo Kim and NITC Executive Director Pranita Upadhyaya had reached the site to observe the progress that was interrupted after the devastating earthquake on April 25 last year.

The NITC had started construction of its Disaster Recovery Centre with a budget of USD 4.6 million following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Finance on May 14, 2013.

The project includes construction of DRC building, which will support the human resource and IT equipment necessary for the Centre after its completion.

Through the DRC, KOICA is attempting to develop the e-government system in order to protect any data or information from any natural disaster or damages, according to a KOICA statement.

KOICA had set up the NITC or Government Integrated Data Centre (GIDC) in 2008 at Singha Durbar, which stores information of government groupware, national portal, electronic driving licence and vehicle registration, passport system, national ID and many others.

These data will also be included in the records of the Centre following its completion as a backup and provide up-to-date information.

According to the KOICA Nepal statement, Nepali officials will be provided with necessary training and guidance for the smooth operation of the Centre in the days to come.