Government has 85 days to clear licence backlog. Is it achievable?

Clearing the backlog of driving licences will show the state’s commitment to service delivery.

Delayed printing of driving licence cards has inconvenienced countless Nepalis. Even those who paid the required fees as far back as May 2022 for a printed licence still hold a faded payment receipt wherever they go. New applicants and those seeking renewals are facing the same fate. According to the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), nearly 2.9 million licences have yet to be printed. In a bid to clear the backlog, the incumbent government, on March 27, introduced a 100-point governance reform package that includes a pledge to print driving licences and deliver them to people’s doorsteps via the ‘government courier service’. It aims to conclude the process within 100 days. There is also a provision of issuing licences for new applicants and those seeking emergency services within 24 hours. To its credit, the government has tried to bring services to citizens rather than forcing them to navigate complicated service delivery. Yet the backlog is far too big, leaving many to wonder how long they would still have to wait.