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By Shanker Man Singh

  

After the national ID card dilemma, now there is a new arrangement for the distribution of driving licenses, the embossed number is also a bitter experience. This problem would not have arisen if the government had given significant time to implement the rules and regulations.

Driving licenses are usually printed and sent by the government agency or the department of motor vehicles that is responsible for issuing driver’s licenses in the respective jurisdiction. The exact process and location may vary by country, state or province but generally, the license is produced at a central printing facility and then mailed or otherwise delivered to the applicant.

Look in Nepal, it has become as complex as Bhadragol management as in other countries, a Thai driver’s license is valid for 4 years or until your next birthday, so if you don’t renew and it expires a few days after your birthday, it used to be valid for about 5 years.

Not having citizenship in a country is not a problem, the United Nations convention and agreement in 1949 have made most of the countries respect each other’s driver’s license. Retired residents of Thailand were previously able to legally drive in the United States with a Thai license.

Apart from supporting unscrupulous bureaucracy, there is no point in expiring them if you have maintained a proper driving record and have not violated any driving laws and are in good health. Recently in Nepal, ‘Smart License’ has been converted into ‘Receipt License’.

The federal and state governments have reached the option of printing a photo and QR code on the receipt of revenue as an alternative to driver’s license, which has been issued under the name of ‘Smart License’ since 2072 but has never been issued as per the demand.

It is necessary to make sure whether this provision exists in the law or if the work can be done according to the law, if not problem might erupt.

Some think that you should be aware of the problem. At a cursory glance, the bitter reality of the fact that the ‘smart license’ business, which has been running for nearly a decade, has never become smart.

Even though the Constitution of Nepal 2072 states that the driver’s license is under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, a decade after the constitution was issued, the provinces have reached the easy way of pasting the driver’s detailed QR code and photo on the receipt.

Although it may be a “teething problem” at first, it can be expected to become regular and simple later. Drivers who have successfully passed their license test and renewed their license are yet to receive a new license are hopeful. Officials of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) have printed licenses for the past 15 months at less than full capacity, which is currently closed except for emergencies.

Even though the responsibility of granting licenses in the federal system has gone to the state governments, all seven state governments have challenges in printing and distributing licenses. Maybe there will be something in the constitutional amendment if needed and required?

When the smart driving license was launched in 2015, everything was fine at first. But later there was a problem in printing and distribution. Since this problem has been present till now, we have to expect that it will be eased by some new arrangements.

However, DOTM has prioritized the distribution of driving licenses to those who go abroad for foreign employment or study. With the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2072, the transport offices have come under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.

There are 35 transport offices across the country. But such offices are not technically capable of printing driving licences. After this new arrangement, there will be speedy and proper management in this situation.

Therefore, the work of printing driver’s license was done by DOTM under the federal government. With the increase in population, the demand for driver’s licenses is increasing. It is said that 4,000 to 5,000 new and renewed driver’s licenses should be printed daily.

After any government comes to power, the public service delivery system is expected to be back on track by promising to streamline the public service delivery system. In some public offices, ministers have gone to get information about the public services being done there. But with time, as all the promises of the government have turned into dust, it is clear that there is extreme disappointment among the people.

It has become public knowledge that the department has stopped printing ‘smart licenses’ for a month when more than 1.7 million service users are to be given driver’s licenses. The Department claims that there is a technical problem for that but it is also said that the card printing has been stopped in the past due to lack of coordination and non-regular supply of cards.

The driver’s license with modern technology was given the name ‘Smart Licence’ and the licenses in Nepal could not become a ‘Smart Licence’.

This is sad for Nepal. Also, there was talk of recognizing the national identity card. It is still in place until now. It happened so much that even the cardholder’s photo was not recognizable.

It is said that the license quality did not come even after printing the card brought from Germany through a global tender with a machine costing 100 million. In the United States, they are issued by individual states.

In Germany, and probably in many European countries they do not expire. This makes sense because once you learn how to drive it’s unlikely you’ll ever forget it. Here is an analysis of the long-standing delays in printing and distribution of driving licenses in Nepal. The delay has highlighted the importance of an effective system, which has increased public awareness and demand for better services.

The need to address delays has driven investment in new technologies and systems to improve processes.

Frequent technical glitches and outdated equipment have caused significant delays. It is said that the continuous problem of corruption and irregularities in the distribution process has increased the delay. Limited resources and manpower have hampered the ability to effectively address backlogs. Delays provide an opportunity to make the entire process more efficient and transparent.

Collaboration with private sector companies can increase efficiency and service delivery. Investing in training programs for employees can improve technical skills and reduce the frequency of problems. Continued delays can lead to public dissatisfaction and loss of confidence in the system. Changes in government policy and leadership can hinder continuous reform and improvement.

Reliance on digital systems makes the process vulnerable to cyber-attacks and data breaches.