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🇳🇵 Nepal /Technology

National ID authentication failures disrupt public services

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Technical issues with the National Identity Management Information System (NIDMIS) have disrupted services across 13 government agencies since early July.
  • The Department of National ID and Civil Registration is working with its vendor, IN Groupe, to resolve authentication and approval failures for newly issued National Identity Numbers.
  • The disruptions raise concerns about the system's future management after the government decided to handle it in-house, despite previous reliance on foreign providers.

Widespread technical failures within Nepal's National Identity Management Information System (NIDMIS) have crippled services across 13 government agencies since early July. The disruptions are preventing citizens from accessing essential services linked to their national identity cards.

The Department of National ID and Civil Registration acknowledged that while new National Identity Numbers (NINs) are being issued, the system is failing to authenticate or approve these records. This has led to a surge in complaints from individuals unable to obtain services from various organizations, including the Department of Passports and several private banks.

As a result, service recipients have submitted complaints to the department, stating that they are facing difficulties obtaining services from 13 different organisations, including the Department of Passports, several private banks and offices.

— Department of National ID and Civil Registration statementExplaining the impact of the authentication failures on public access to services.

Krishna Poudel, director general of the Department of National ID and Civil Registration, stated that the IT team has been working for over a week to fix the problem, with technical assistance from France-based vendor IN Groupe, which previously supplied the NIDMIS and Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). Despite the ongoing efforts, the issue remained unresolved as of Friday, a month after it was first noticed.

Senior officials from affected agencies expressed frustration over the persistent delays. The technical glitches have also intensified scrutiny on the government's decision in May to manage NIDMIS in-house, canceling an international tender for its operation and support. This move came despite concerns about the department's technical capacity and existing delays in issuing national identity cards, marking a significant shift from the system's reliance on foreign technology providers for critical functions.

As a result, service recipients have submitted complaints to the department, stating that they are facing difficulties obtaining services from 13 different organisations, including the Department of Passports, several private banks and offices.

— Department of National ID and Civil Registration statementDetailing the specific difficulties faced by citizens due to the system's failures.
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Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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