Welcome to this article, where we will be discussing about the Nagarik App launched by the Government of Nepal and the services included in it by various Governmental Department, Offices and Constitutional Bodies and we have tried to give a small overview of the Ministries under which the departments and offices function. We have also discussed about the security of the app in this article. You can use the following table of content to navigate through the article with ease.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Nagarik App that can be interchangably translated to English as “Citizen App” is an application launched by the Government of Nepal in order to provide various government-related services in a single online platform. It operates under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Government of Nepal, which is the federal government of Nepal.
The Nagarik App can be accessed through Android or IOS Devices and also from web browsers. The app had been developed to facilitate an easier, systematic, and simplified delivery of government services to Nepali citizens digitally.
The app was launched to play a transformational role in revolutionizing the way citizens interact with the government. It offers various government services through a single unified platform, which minimizes the need for citizens to navigate multiple channels or physical offices for their diverse needs of government services.
The services are being added gradually according to the needs and services required. The government has aim to reduce the physical queues and the need to be physically present to get services from the different government offices. One can get services online round-the-clock even during holidays from the App. As of now, 25 services have been included in the app, ranging from Police Clearance Report to Voters Card.
The launch of Nagarik App marked a significant milestone in Nepal’s digital transformation journey. It aims to reduce all the bureaucratic hurdles that the citizens are facing and make the government services more efficient and convenient.
Services Available in the Nagarik App
Nagarik App, as of now has included the following services provided by various Governmental Departmets, Offices, Constitutional Bodies, Government-Owned-Retirement Funds:
- PAN Registration and view PAN Card with Tax Payment Statement: Inland Revenue Department (Nepal) (IRD) has provided a PAN (Permanent Account Number) Registration service in the app which is very seemless, easy and instant. But, you need to note that the feature os only for individual PAN and not for businesses and entities, for which you need to register from the Taxpayer Portal of IRD which can be accessed from web browsers. The app allowes you to link and view your PAN ID in the app which will be shown as a digital image of your physical ID and also you can view your statement of tax payments. The IRD is a department looking over various Federal Direct and Indirect Taxes (excluding Customs Duties) of Nepal and it functions under the Minsitry of Finance of Government of Nepal (GON), which is the federal government of Nepal.
- Voter Card Pre-Registration and Details: Election Commission Nepal (ECN) has provided Pre-Registration facility in the Nagarik App. You cannot cast votes in elections in Nepal on the basis of your Nepalese Citizenship. You need to get enlisted as a voter in the voter list maintained by the ECN. ECN is a constitutional body which has been established by the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 (2015 AD). You need to note that only the pre-registration feature is available, for the further process, you need to visit your desired district or local election office to verify the form and get your photo taken after which you will be listed as an eligible voter and can cast vote in the Federal, Provincial and Local Elections. Also, after you have become a voter, you can link and view your voter card in the Nagarik App. ECN is an autonomous and independent constitutional body, hence it does not function under any level of government in Nepal.
- Nepal Police Online Clearance Report: Nepal Police Provides Online Clearance Report service from it’s own platform which has been incorporated with the Nagarik App. You can apply for Police Clearance Reports and view them from the app. Nepal Police is the Federal Police Force of Nepal which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of Nepal.
- Vehicle Tax Payment: The Department of Transport Management (DOTM) provides vehicle tax payment service from the Nagarik App. The DOTM functions under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation of the GON. Since the DOTM’s authority over various services has been transferred to the Provincial Transport Management Departments which operate under 7 different provinces over the country, not everybody’s details of their vehicles and driving License can be connected in the App.
- Pre-Registration for COVID vaccination, QR Certificate
- Nepal Passport, Driving License, Citizenship details: The Department of Passports (DOP) provides feature of viewing the Passport Details, The DOTM allows to view your driving license and Minsitry of Home Affairs allows to view your citizenship in the App. All these details are shown to you in the form of a digital image of the physical ID’s and you can copy the ID numbers from the respective images. the DOP functions under the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- My Municipality (which includes contact info of the representatives, services such as ambulance, nearby police, and budget programs and plans). There are a total of 753 Municipalities in Nepal which function as a separate legislative and executive functions as per Nepalese laws. Such Municipalities include Metropolitan, Sub-Metropolitan Cities, Municipalities and Rural Municipalities.
- The Government Press ID card
- EPF/SST/CIT statements: The Employee Provident Fund, Social Security Funds and Citizen Investment Trusts are giant government-run retirement funds which accept retirement contributions from both governmental and private sector. All these three retirement funds allows their contributors to connect their user to Nagarik App through their Contributor ID number and view their own details and contribution history.
- Nagarik Pahichan Dwar / Citizen Identification Portal (This allows opening of Online bank accounts and KYC verifications for selected banks using the QR scanning feature of the App)
How Secure is Nagarik App?
Since, Nagarik App is a platform where informations related to citizens contained with various Governmental Departments, Offices, Government-Owned Enterprises and Constitutional Bodies, it is very critical as data of millions of citizens are stored and various transactions are processed from the platform.
Of course, very sensitive data are stored in Nagarik App’s database, whose security is very crucial to both the Government and the citizens. Until some time ago, Nagarik App’s Official Website contained a news article which mentioned that “More than 1 million cyber attacks perpetrated against Nagarik App, against which the App remained unintruded.” The news now has been removed from the website.
Nagarik App has maintained it’s security protocol in such a way that the unit that renders service can not take away the copy of your details during verification. While scanning QR code from the Nagarik App, it asks for your consent to provide access of your details to the selected government offices, departments or banks. This means that, you can choose whom you share your information with. So, you can stay assured that your personal details would not be misused.
Awards and Recognitions
World Summit Awards, 2022
The World Summit Award honors outstanding digital applications and solutions across various categories each year. The winners of the World Summit Award represent the pinnacle of innovation in their respective categories which they represent. The Nagarik App was selected among 180 participants and won the World Summit Award of 2022 in Government and Citizen Engagement category. For further details, you can click here to go to the web page of The World Summit Award to Nagarik App.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. When was the Nagarik App Launched?
It was launched on the occasion of the fourth National Information and Communication Technology Day, 2021 (2078 BS) i.e. January 15, 2021
2. Who can use Nagarik App?
The app is available to Nepalese citizens (only) who have:
- A mobile number in their own name (i.e. the SIM card must be registered in the name of the person who wants to use Nagarik App)
And,
- Details of Citizenship, or
- Details of Voter ID Card, or
- Details of Passport
Nagarik App Introduction Video
Various Links related to Nagarik App
Nagarik App’s Official Website: https://nagarikapp.gov.np
Nagarik App’s Web Login Portal: https://web.nagarikapp.gov.np/citizen/login
Apple App Store Download Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nagarik-app/id1493013430
Google Play Store Download Link: Click Here
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nagarikapp
Official X (Twitter) Page: https://www.twitter.com/nagarikapp
