Govt digitizing policemen's records

KATHMANDU, July 3: In an effort to maintain up-to-date records, the Home Ministry has begun digitizing personal details of both serving and retired police personnel. Officials at the Police Personnel Book Keeping Office (PPBKO) said they started digitizing the details of about 84,000 serving Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel as well as some 3,000 serving under the National Investigation Department (NID). The PPBKO also maintains the records of about 35,000 retired police and NID personnel. [break]



Lack of computerized details of police personnel had been causing unnecessary hassles and delays while providing gratuity, pension, and medical treatment expenses, and also in adjusting salary grade amounts. Police personnel details are also important for timely promotion and retirement.



Home Ministry under secretary Uddhab Prasad Bhattarai, chief of PPBKO, said they have started using the software employed by the Civil Service Book Keeping Office (CSBKO) with some modifications to suit the PPBKO´s specific needs. “The data, once digitized, will greatly help to address the unnecessary hassles of rummaging through the almost tattered record books,” Bhattarai said.



He said that they have asked for additional budget in the coming fiscal year to help accomplish the task of computerizing all records of serving and retired police personnel to date.



At least 200 police personnel from various parts of the country will serve almost round-the-year on kaaj (deputation) at the PPBKO just to help keep the correct details of police personnel serving in their respective units as the record was maintained manually.



Bhattarai said the police personnel, who would come to Kathmandu for the purpose, could be mobilized for regular policing once the data is fully digitized.

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