KATHMANDU: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has announced that the second phase of the Digital Nepal Framework (DNF–2) will be implemented later this year.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Development, Economic Affairs, and Good Governance Committee on Tuesday, Minister Gurung said the draft of DNF–2 has been completed and will soon be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
The meeting was convened to discuss the government’s progress in adopting ‘digital governance’. Gurung recalled that the first phase, launched in 2019, defined eight core domains and 80 initiatives.
The updated DNF–2 will retain the eight domains — agriculture, health, education, urban infrastructure, energy, tourism, finance, and digital foundation — with reforms designed to meet current needs.
The plan, aimed at driving Nepal’s economic transformation and prosperity, is estimated to require a budget of Rs 107.5 billion. The minister, who is also the government’s spokesperson, said that no foreign assistance has been secured so far and that the Ministry will proceed with implementation through its own resources.
To ensure inter-ministerial coordination, a committee headed by the Chief Secretary will be formed under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
Gurung also said the Ministry’s AI policy draft will soon be sent to the Cabinet for approval, and that it is actively working on digitizing postal services, building a national data center, expanding 4G coverage nationwide, and launching 5G services in Kathmandu and Pokhara this year.
On the postal sector, Gurung stressed the need for legal, policy, and structural reforms to modernize operations, announcing that a new Postal Act is in preparation. He emphasized using technology to deliver services to households and moving away from outdated laws dating back to 1935.
Secretary Radhika Aryal outlined progress on policy and legislative fronts, noting that the National Cyber Security Policy 2023 is under implementation, along with operational guidelines for data centers, cloud services, and an IT emergency response team.
During a separate Bagmati Province-level postal review program, senior officials, including Joint Secretary Koshahari Niraula and Director General Manmaya Pangeni Bhattarai, highlighted the need for both modernization and preservation of postal service heritage, stressing improved efficiency and public access.
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