MRPs distribution from 72 districts to address distribution woes

KATHMANDU, June 25: The taskforce formed six months ago to recommend both short-term as well as long term measures to ensure easier and effective distribution of Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) has proposed distributing MRPs from 72 districts.



The taskforce headed by Bharat Raj Paudyal, then chief of Central Passport Office (CPO) that is under Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the recommendation in its final report submitted to Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire on Friday. “The government will now try to make MRP distribution easier based on the recommendations made by the taskforce in its report,” said a source close to the CPO. [break]



The government formed the taskforce in January amid complaints from various quarters that centralized system of MRP distribution forced ordinary people to undergo countless hassles.



As an immediate measure to address the problem, the taskforce in its 6-point report has proposed increasing the number of existing 12 counters for distribution and collection of forms to 24 at the CPO. It has also proposed doubling the number of employees manning the counters.



The taskforce has also stressed on decentralization and asked the government to make necessary arrangements of human resources and physical infrastructures for distributing MRPs from district administration offices across the country in phase-wise manner. The taskforce recommended phase-wise arrangement for collecting forms and distributing passports from 72 districts as experiences from some districts will help do away with shortcomings while expanding the services to other districts.



It has also maintained that it would be easy for residents of Dhading, Nuwakot and Rasuwa to receive MRPs from Kathmandu rather than from their home districts.



Though the home ministry will help in collecting forms and distributing MRPs to the districts for the time being, the taskforce has suggested the government to establish coordination with Postal Service for delivering MRP forms to CPO in Kathmandu and deliver the passport to the districts. However, the report does not mention how long it should take to deliver the passports after the submission of MRP forms. “It is up to the officials at the home ministry and CPO to determine the number of days required for delivering passports to the districts,” said a source.



The taskforce has also suggested introducing online form collection system in due course of time. This will not only make form collection and delivery easier to district administration offices across the country but also to Nepal´s diplomatic missions abroad. Developing a system for sending scanned copies of MRP application forms to the CPO is another suggestion made by the taskforce.



Among other things, the taskforce has proposed setting up four personalization centers outside Kathmandu Valley once the country adopts federal structure. The personalization centers will act similarly to the current CPO in Kathmandu.



The taskforce has also suggested the government to take decision on time whether to go for e-passport system or existing MRP after 4 millions passport booklets in total to be provided by Oberthur Company is issued.

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