Kathmandu, October 9
Minister for Information and Communications Bikram Timilsina has said the plan to make the postal service modern, effective and citizen-friendly, and to develop it as a government courier service, is being implemented effectively.
Speaking at a philatelic exhibition organised by the Department of Postal Services to mark the 152nd World Post Day, he said the government is committed to restructuring the postal service in line with changing times and citizens’ needs and bringing it within the reach of the general public.
Stressing the need to preserve the historical importance of the postal service while connecting it to modern life, Minister Timilsina said, “The postal service has a distinctive history. Now, alongside its history, we must also think of its future and build a modern, practical and citizen-centred service.”
He said the development of modern technology has changed citizens’ needs and the way they receive services. He said it is necessary to make the postal service suit the times.
The department has issued postage stamps bearing the portraits of Bise Nagarchi and Wange Sarki, who contributed to Nepal’s unification and nation-building; Kulbir Thapa Magar and Karna Bahadur Rana Magar, who received the Victoria Cross in the First World War; and John Logie Baird, the inventor of television, to mark 100 years since the invention of television.
The department said each stamp is priced at Rs 10. At the programme, Minister Timilsina applied the seal to the first-day cover of the stamps.
National Dalit Commission Chairperson Devr Raj Bishwakarma said that issuing stamps bearing the portraits of Bise Nagarchi and Wange Sarki shows the state’s recognition of the historic contribution of the Dalit community.
Communications Secretary Rajendra Kumar Paudel said that, in changed circumstances, the postal service should be made an effective means of expanding citizen services. He said the postal network, which extends to the municipal level across the country, can be used to deliver services to citizens’ doorsteps as a government courier service.
Manmaya Bhattarai Pangeni, director general of the Department of Postal Services, said the postal service remains relevant across the world.
