LALITPUR, Jan 4: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel has said the government is committed to holding a free and fair election.
Launching the ‘Galli Maps’ application at Mangalbazar in Lalitpur on Saturday, Minister Kharel urged people to remain confident that elections will be held on March 5. He said the upcoming polls must bring capable leaders and leadership, adding that the country is moving toward change, and young people should step into politics.
Minister Kharel said the launch of the Galli app, designed to help voters access information, marks the start of the election process. “With the launch of the Galli app, the election process has begun. Voters no longer need to worry about where their polling center is or how to reach it. We are making steady progress in information and technology, and we must continue to move forward with technology-based work,” he said.
He said the current government was formed with the support of Gen Z and has encouraged youth-led initiatives while expanding access to and use of technology within government systems.
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Minister Kharel also said the upgrading and beautification of Patan’s heritage sites has had a positive impact. He said improvements in heritage areas have helped tourism, job creation, education, and health services. Recalling his time living in Purnachandi from 2056 to 2061 BS, he said each alley and square of Patan carries its own importance.
He stressed that youthfulness lies in thinking, not age, and said development efforts led by local governments and people with fresh ideas play an important role. He also said some local governments are doing commendable work and urged all local levels to respond to public expectations.
Galli Maps, Nepal’s own digital navigation platform, has been developed to make elections technology friendly. Through the app, voters can now find their polling stations using their mobile phones.
The feature, developed with technical support from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Lalitpur Metropolitan City, was made public during a special event in the Patan Durbar Square area on Saturday. The service will guide voters to their polling centers through two simple methods, navigation based on voter ID and navigation based on administrative selection.
Minister Kharel formally launched the feature through the mobile app. He said the fresh ideas of Nepali youth have provided strong support to the country’s election process and added that the service has given new momentum to the national “Must Inform Election” campaign.
Lalitpur Metropolitan City Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan said Galli Maps will help citizens easily identify their polling centers in the upcoming election.
Galli Maps Acting Chief Executive Officer Raj Bikram Maharjan said he was pleased that a journey that began by addressing a small problem has now been able to support a major national event, the election. He said the system will make it easier to find house numbers, locate polling centers using voter numbers, and access information on festivals and events.
