Parliamentary Committee Discusses Passport Printing Irregularities

Kathmandu. The issue of corruption and irregularities in the passport printing process has been raised in the parliamentary committee. On Tuesday, in the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee under the House of Representatives, MPs from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) strongly raised the issue of corruption and irregularities in the passport printing process. In the meeting, RSP MPs Janakraj Joshi, Bikram Thapa, and Khagendra Sunar demanded that the committee immediately investigate, stating that the passport printing has caused billions in losses to the state. Speaking in the meeting, MP Janakraj Joshi said that the issue of corruption and irregularities amounting to approximately 10 billion 13 crore rupees in the passport procurement process is extremely serious. He said, "This is an issue related to Nepal's sovereignty and national security. The Public Accounts Committee must ensure transparency and accountability in the controversy and corruption seen in this matter." MP Joshi also proposed that all documents related to the Department of Passports should be summoned from the Ministry of Home Affairs, a special audit should be conducted by the Office of the Auditor General, and a system of independent technical review should be arranged to prevent such disputes in the future. Another MP, Khagendra Sunar, said that the passport case is a hot topic and the files should be summoned and studied to understand the intentions of those involved. He said, "Citizens going abroad are facing great hardship due to the lack of passports. The committee must look into how much the state has lost due to this corruption and who are involved." MP Sunar emphasized that the Public Accounts Committee should not just follow tradition but should delve deep into the system and conduct a thorough investigation, and provide necessary directives for action against the guilty. Similarly, MP Bikram Thapa also supported the need for the committee to pay attention to the delays and financial dealings in passport printing and to provide clear directives to the government. RSP MPs have demanded that the Public Accounts Committee should be more active for transparency in public spending and good governance, and that such major corruption scandals should be brought to a conclusion.