Printing driving licenses gains momentum in Panauti

By Kedar Timalsina,Banepa, Dec. 9: The Security Printing Centre in Panauti Municipality–5, Kavrepalanchok, has accelerated the printing of driving licenses. The government has begun printing driving licenses at the Centre since November 7 this year. 

The Centre has stepped up its work after receiving the required data for printing from the Department of Transport Management.

According to Gopal Raj Timilsina, Deputy Secretary at the Security Printing Centre, the printing process has gained momentum as the Department has started sending data in the format requested by the Centre.

“The Department of Transport Management has so far provided data for printing 6,000 licenses in the required format. Of these, the Centre has printed and handed over 4,119 licenses,” Timilsina said. He added that 1,800 licenses were printed on Monday and they would be handed over to the Department on Tuesday.

“The Department has been sending data for printing essential licenses, including those required for foreign employment. The Centre is currently printing licenses two days a week, and on additional days if necessary,” Timilsina added.

He said the Centre has appointed nine engineers from various printing-related fields, trained them, and assigned them to the license printing work. Printing begins once data for at least 1,000 licenses is received.

An agreement between the Security Printing Centre and the Department of Transport Management was signed to print 1.2 million licenses within six months on October 29. Under the agreement, the Centre will print 500 licenses daily for the first three months, and the remaining 1.1 million licenses will be printed during the following three months.

The Department has agreed to pay the Centre around Rs. 260 million for printing 1.2 million licenses. The government has put forward a plan to establish a printing house to prevent money from flowing abroad for the printing of passports, banknotes, and other security documents, while generating revenue within the country by providing security printing services and products to foreign markets.

Construction of the security printing press in Dhaneshwor, Panauti Municipality–5, Kavrepalanchok, began after the government allocated a budget for the project in its policies and programmes for the fiscal year 2017/18.

Once operational, the security printing press is expected to retain an estimated Rs. 10 billion that would otherwise go to foreign companies for security printing, while an additional Rs. 10 billion is expected to be added to the national treasury by providing printing services and products to foreign markets.