Nagarik App

Kathmandu: Do you still sit in line for hours at an office carrying the necessary documents when you have to take government services? Have you been preparing a file by photocopying your important documents for each job? To eliminate such hassles, the Government of Nepal has started the development and testing of new apps. In this app, after clicking on the number of one of the citizenship, voter identity cards, or national identity cards from the mobile in your name, you will automatically get all your details, and based on that, you will have direct access to the concerned office and service.

This new program aims to digitize all types of services provided by the Government of Nepal and provide services from an integrated platform. Nagarik will be able to get PAN numbers by applying for a PAN card from the Nagarik app and also get information about the tax paid to the government through a mobile set. According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the app will be able to get the details of citizenship, passport, educational certificate, and voter identity card, as well as the amount deposited in the account of citizen investment fund, savings fund, and social security fund.

It is not that some offices in the past have not practiced using technology, but the government has introduced this app as an initiative to end the hassle of carrying documents and queuing using high technology. Now you don't have to carry the documents like your citizenship, passport, company registration, an educational certificate with you. The process of obtaining a permanent account number (PAN) can be started by entering the citizenship number in the app. 

At present, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stored the digital details of 21.5 million citizens. The Election Commission has information of 15.5 million citizens on the basis of voter ID cards, including fingerprints and photos. The passport details of more than 6.5 million citizens are kept in the Passport Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The digital identity of the citizen has been established in the app using the details in these three places. The government plans to add a national identity card in the coming days.

This app has been considered as an important link in this field after the government approved and implemented Digital Nepal, Framework, 2076, which was brought to help in the economic transformation and prosperity of the country through information technology. The action plan for the implementation of various service sectors and bodies through the use of time-relevant information technology was passed by the Council of Ministers on October 20, 2008.

Minister for Communications Parbat Gurung inaugurated the 'beta version' of the app at a program organized at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of Nepal on Friday with the slogan "Support of Communication and Information Technology, Government Service Hand in Hand". Minister Gurung urged every citizen of Nepal to avail maximum benefits by using the citizen app as government services can be easily accessed through mobile phones through technology. 

An app has been launched under the slogan "Citizen App for Simple, Easy and Effective Government Services 24 Hours Online, Not Online". Similarly, it can be seen that the government and public bodies have addressed the grievances of the citizens. Using this app, you can save faceless, paperless, and time and also take service on public holidays. The sample test will last for three months. In order to get services like citizenship and license online, a separate law on the electronic signature is needed, said a government official.

Android users will be able to download the app from the Play Store and iPhone users will be able to download the app from one of the stores. Now the app can be used through the border of Nepal Telecom and Ncell on the basis of a mobile number registered in one's own name. In order to get that service, the person concerned has to mention the details of one of his citizenship, voter, or passport.

As envisaged by the Digital Nepal Framework, the policy and program state that the services provided by the government to the citizens will be integrated and interconnected to make them comfortable and technology-friendly. The Citizen App has been made public as a task to monitor government activities, hear complaints, and make arrangements for addressing them. This new program is expected to contribute to the government's national aspiration of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis' as well as the Millennium Development Goals.

In the coming days, services related to land tax, land reform, vehicle tax, driver's license, and other services related to the general public will be added to the app. The government services that will be provided through the Nagarik App, which is currently being tested, will be transparent, reliable, and secure. Ministry spokesperson Dilliram Sharma informed that the procedure for using the citizen app will be made public.

With the implementation of the framework with eight domains and 80 activities (initiatives), the work of laying information highway (optical fiber network) in the country is also gaining momentum. The framework covered areas such as agility in service delivery as well as electronic payments, tourism, agriculture, education, health, aviation, traffic management, industry, and finance. The Information Highway will act as a bridge to make the state-of-the-art communication services including mobile, landline telephone, and internet of high capacity and quality for the service and expansion of access to the age of information technology. Nepal Telecom Authority has given the responsibility of laying optical fiber to various places in Provinces 1, 2, and 3 on the Mid-Hill Highway.

In addition to the other benefits to be gained through the use of information and communication technology under the slogan 'Base for the Prosperity of Digital Infrastructure, Expansion of Information Technology', the use of this technology will lay the foundation for more transparent and effective public management of good governance.

How to use it?

This app is very easy to use. After downloading the citizen app on the smart mobile, you can go inside and use it. This app and its features can be availed from the mobile number in your name. After entering the mobile number, the app automatically finds out whose name is registered. Apps can access the system of the concerned body from the citizenship number itself. For example, if your PAN details are required for a service provided by an office, the app can get the details directly from the revenue department system by entering the PAN number, so you do not have to submit your citizenship and photocopy of PAN. 

All the services provided by the municipality to the citizens from the center can be obtained from this app. More than 40 out of 64 services provided by the municipal government can be availed from this app. It will also be easier for the citizens as they do not have to fill in and upload any details. Nagarik apps are so easy to run that you can apply for the relevant government services with just one click. 

It automatically verifies the certified details of citizens in various government bodies. It is not possible for anyone to change it. The app will provide government services in the first phase and semi-government services in the second phase. Its use is believed to be of great help to the citizens as well as to good governance, reduction of corruption, and reduction of government operating expenses.