Smart license from December 20

Kathmandu December 1- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Bijay Kumar Gachhadar launched the new  smart licenses by unveiling a license issued in the name of DoTM Director General Chandra Man Shrestha and a replica on Monday.

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has finally brought out its long-planned smart driving license which will replace cardboard driving licenses currently in use. The Transport Department has stopped issuing paper licenses on Monday.  

The new licenses are similar to ATM cards issued by banks. They contain electronic chips similar to SIM cards and store information like the driver’s identity and vehicle registration number. The Transportation Management Office, Bagmati will start issuing smart licences from December 20.

The department will also start migrating all the data to a digital platform which is expected to be completed within a week. The cards will eventually be issued from all the zonal offices of the department, except Karnali zone.

The department plans to complete replacing the technology enabled licence within three to five years. Till date, the DoTM has issued around 2 million driving licences, out of which around 1.5 million are estimated to be active.

  
The DoTM initiative is part of the Information and Communication Technology Development Project signed by the government and the ADB in 2008. The $25-million grant project envisions helping the government promote economic and social development and reduce poverty by making ICT more accessible.

While the data recorded on the smart driving licences will be accessible to all the transport offices across the country, linkages will be made available to the traffic police, police and insurance agencies, among others, so that they can get complete information about the driver.
Meanwhile, driving licence applicants will have to give a fingerprint impression, get a passport-size photograph made and place their signature on the licence card by visiting the transportation office. This means that people will not be able to get their colleagues or friends obtain or renew licences on their behalf. Source: TKP