- Type
- Act
- Year
- २०८१ BS · 2024 AD
- Status
- In force
- Category
- खण्ड १०: सञ्चार तथा विज्ञान र प्रविधि · Volume 10: Communication, Science and Technology
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.
What does it do?
- The Act sets up a Security Printing Centre, an autonomous corporate body under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, so that security documents can be printed safely and reliably inside Nepal. 'Security printing material' means citizenship certificates, passports, national identity cards, bank notes, visa stickers, postage stamps, excise stickers, driving licences and land ownership certificates, plus anything else the government names in the Gazette.सुरक्षण मुद्रण सामग्री देशभित्रै सुरक्षित, भरपर्दो र गुणस्तरीय रूपमा छाप्न यस ऐनले सञ्चार तथा सूचना प्रविधि मन्त्रालयअन्तर्गत स्वशासित संगठित संस्थाका रूपमा सुरक्षण मुद्रण केन्द्र स्थापना गरेको छ। 'सुरक्षण मुद्रण सामग्री' भन्नाले नागरिकताको प्रमाणपत्र, राहदानी, राष्ट्रिय परिचयपत्र, बैंक नोट, भिसा स्टिकर, हुलाक टिकट, अन्तःशुल्क स्टिकर, सवारी चालक अनुमतिपत्र, जग्गाधनी दर्ता प्रमाणपुर्जा र सरकारले राजपत्रमा तोकेका अन्य सामग्री बुझिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Preamble; Sections 2(ज), 2(ड), 3–4, pp. 1–3
- Once the Act is in force, all security printing — including making or importing the presses, watermarked or security-thread paper, dies and plates — is done by the Centre, which must give priority to citizenship certificates, ID cards, passports, bank notes, excise stickers and driving licences. Until the Centre can do the work, or if it cannot meet a demand, materials may be printed under other law; for items other than those six, the government may authorise a majority government-owned body, and failing that, competitive procurement from a domestic supplier. Agencies must send their annual demand and specifications at least six months in advance.ऐन प्रारम्भ भएपछि छापाखाना, मेसिन, वाटरमार्क वा सेक्युरिटी थ्रेड भएको कागज, डाइ र प्लेट बनाउने वा पैठारी गर्नेसमेत सम्पूर्ण सुरक्षण मुद्रणको काम केन्द्रले गर्छ, र नागरिकता, राष्ट्रिय परिचयपत्र, राहदानी, बैंक नोट, अन्तःशुल्क स्टिकर र सवारी चालक अनुमतिपत्रको छपाइलाई प्राथमिकता दिनुपर्छ। केन्द्रले काम सुरु नगरेसम्म वा माग धान्न नसके प्रचलित कानूनअनुसार छपाइ गर्न सकिन्छ; ती छवटाबाहेकका सामग्री सरकारको बहुमत स्वामित्वको संस्थालाई, र त्यसले पनि नसके प्रतिस्पर्धाबाट स्वदेशी व्यक्ति वा संस्थालाई दिन सकिन्छ। सम्बन्धित निकायले वार्षिक माग र प्राविधिक विवरण कम्तीमा छ महिनाअघि पठाउनुपर्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 9–10, pp. 6–7
- The Centre is run by a board chaired by the secretary of the ministry, with joint secretaries from the finance, home, foreign, law and industry ministries and two experts (at least one woman), and an executive director as member-secretary appointed under the Act. It may set up industries to produce paper, thread and chemicals for security printing, and its work is treated as an essential service.केन्द्रको सञ्चालन मन्त्रालयका सचिवको अध्यक्षतामा अर्थ, गृह, परराष्ट्र, कानून र उद्योग मन्त्रालयका सहसचिव, कम्तीमा एक महिलासहित दुई विज्ञ, र सदस्य–सचिवका रूपमा ऐनबमोजिम नियुक्त कार्यकारी निर्देशक रहेको सञ्चालक समितिले गर्छ। केन्द्रले सुरक्षण मुद्रणका लागि कागज, धागो, रसायनजस्ता कच्चा पदार्थ उत्पादन गर्न उद्योग स्थापना गर्न सक्छ, र यसको काम आवश्यक सेवामा पर्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 6, 18, 37, 41, pp. 4–19
- Printing security material without authority is a crime: up to 12 years' prison and fines for citizenship certificates, ID cards, passports or bank notes, with lower maximums for other items; making or importing presses, security paper, dies or plates, printing more than ordered, leaking specifications, or removing blank or personalised material from the Centre are also punishable, and repeat offenders get heavier sentences. Cases are prosecuted by the government.अनधिकृत रूपमा सुरक्षण मुद्रण सामग्री छाप्नु कसुर हो: नागरिकता, परिचयपत्र, राहदानी वा बैंक नोटमा बाह्र वर्षसम्म कैद र जरिवाना, अन्य सामग्रीमा कम सजाय हुन्छ; अनधिकृत रूपमा मेसिन, सुरक्षण कागज, डाइ वा प्लेट बनाउने वा पैठारी गर्ने, मागभन्दा बढी छाप्ने, प्राविधिक विवरणको गोपनीयता भंग गर्ने, वा खाली वा वैयक्तीकरण गरिएका सामग्री केन्द्रबाहिर लैजाने कार्य पनि दण्डनीय छन्, र पुनः कसुर गर्नेलाई थप सजाय हुन्छ। यस्ता मुद्दा सरकारवादी हुन्छन्। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 27–36, pp. 14–18
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Capacity The Auditor General's 63rd report found that while the Act assigns security printing to the Security Printing Centre and the ministry approved 63 temporary posts for the Centre (2082-05-04), 71 staff were working on the same tasks in the Department of Printing — two bodies set up by the government for the same work. The Department's printing income (Rs 2.21 crore) did not cover even its direct costs, and it had no business plan.महालेखापरीक्षकको ६३औँ प्रतिवेदनअनुसार ऐनले सुरक्षण मुद्रणको काम सुरक्षण मुद्रण केन्द्रलाई तोकेको र मन्त्रालयले २०८२।५।४ मा केन्द्रका लागि ६३ अस्थायी दरबन्दी स्वीकृत गरेको भए पनि सोही कामका लागि मुद्रण विभागमा ७१ जना कार्यरत छन् — सरकारले एउटै प्रकृतिको काम गर्न दुई निकाय गठन गरेको छ। मुद्रण विभागको छपाइ आम्दानी (रु. २ करोड २१ लाख) ले प्रत्यक्ष खर्चसमेत धान्न सकेको छैन र विभागले व्यावसायिक योजना बनाएको छैन। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text OAG 63rd report, Ministry of Communication and IT chapter (Department of Printing), para 12, PDF p. 546 (printed p. 514); summary chapter, PDF pp. 64–65 (printed p. 34); Act Section 9, p. 6
Ideas to fix it
- The Auditor General recommends analysing the work of the two bodies and merging them to make printing work effective and use resources best.दुई निकायको कार्य विश्लेषण गरी एकीकरण गर्दै मुद्रणसम्बन्धी कामलाई प्रभावकारी बनाउनुपर्ने महालेखापरीक्षकको सुझाव छ। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General (63rd Annual Report) Office of the Auditor General, Nepal
Where does it conflict with other laws?
No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.