KATHMANDU, Oct 5: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has directed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to make the digital payment of electricity bills more systematized.
He said it is necessary to end the situation where citizens have to stand in line for hours at the office to pay their bills in the present information technology era.
The Energy Minister informed that the plan to effectively expand 'digital payment' has been approved by the NEA's board of directors, and he emphasized ensuring its effective implementation down to the grassroots level.
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In a discussion with the head of the Electricity Division Office in Hetauda, he said, "Digital payments need to be expanded further. This saves citizens' time, reduces costs, and makes it easier for us to manage staff, so digital payments should be promoted as a campaign."
Minister Shrestha said that even though the graph of electronic payments has increased, it is still not satisfactory and citizens still have to wait in line.
"When it was started, the percentage of its use suddenly went up. But last year it didn’t go above one percent. This is a serious issue," Minister Shrestha said. "In this era of information technology, if citizens still have to come and stand in line to pay, I’ve noticed that the authority needs to further raise public awareness."
He pointed out that controlling electricity leakage and protecting electrical structures is everyone's shared responsibility and instructed the division heads not only to rebuild poles but also to look after them and conduct inspections.
Minister Shrestha also instructed the division office chief to take responsibility with good governance and administrative reform as the main principles when making decisions.
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