Government courier service via post office expands to 60 districts

Kathmandu: The government’s courier service, launched with the aim of delivering public services to citizens’ doorsteps, has now expanded to 60 districts across the country.

The Department of Postal Services stated that it has intensified efforts to deliver documents such as passports, driving licenses, educational certificates, and others directly to citizens’ homes as part of making the government’s service delivery system more digital and systematic. According to Director General Manmaya Bhattarai Pangeni, although there was a lack of cooperation from some districts in the initial phase, the service is now operating effectively in most areas. “We are expanding the service by mobilizing mechanisms down to the grassroots level. The compulsion of citizens to visit offices to collect government documents is gradually decreasing,” he said.

According to the department, a total of 28,169 passports have been transported to respective districts since the program began, of which 1,635 have been delivered directly to the homes of service recipients. The department noted that the process has become easier as recipients’ addresses are collected during passport application at district administration offices.

The use of the postal system is also expanding in transportation services. As of Jestha 20, 470,881 driving licenses have been sent to concerned transport offices, while 671 have been delivered to homes.

Beyond document delivery, the postal department has increased collaboration with the education and health sectors. So far, 260 educational certificates have been distributed. Additionally, 488 laboratory samples have been transported in coordination with the National Public Health Laboratory, with services currently operating from Surkhet, Banke, and Kathmandu.

Preparations are underway to launch home delivery of SIM cards in collaboration with Nepal Telecom. The transportation of question papers, answer sheets, and certificates has already begun with Madhya Paschim University, while discussions are ongoing with Nepal Open University regarding certificate delivery.

Similarly, a preliminary draft agreement has been prepared with the National Health, Education and Information Center for postal transportation services. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the transport of materials distributed by Nepal Telecom, as well as expanding services to include private sector logistics.

The department claims that notable progress has also been made toward international courier services. Director General Bhattarai stated that discussions are underway with air service providers to expand postal access to more countries, and efforts are being made to upgrade the service system despite limited resources.

As part of systemic reforms, a study committee has been formed in coordination with the Passport Department to integrate systems, while initiatives are being taken with the Office of the Comptroller General for system integration. The department has also moved forward with upgrading postal codes within the Postal Internal Tracking System.

Although efforts are underway to transform the traditional postal service into a modern government service delivery system, the initiative remains in its early stages. As the service has yet to be fully effective in most districts, improvements in delivery speed, transparency, and reliability are still needed. However, the concept of delivering government services directly to citizens’ homes signals a move toward more convenient and modern administrative access.