Official portal of the government Nepal.gov.np idle for a year and a half
साउन १८, २०८२ १५:४०
Kathmandu: Nepal.gov.np, tagged as the official portal of the Nepal government, has remained inactive for more than a year and a half. Following the dissolution of the National Information Technology Center (NITC), the portal has also fallen into neglect.
The site has not seen any updates or activity since January 23, 2024, and is now nearly non-functional. While the website still opens, most of its internal links are broken.
The portal was once a central hub for accessing information about all government websites and online services. Today, most of its links have expired.
Even when the site is accessible, key sections, such as the home page and content under government, business, and citizen categories are no longer visible. The portal displays only a map of Nepal at the center. Earlier, navigating the map would lead users to the websites of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers for all seven provinces. Now, only the portals for Madhes Province, Koshi Province, and Gandaki open.
After the government dissolved the NITC, it established the Integrated Data Management Center (IDMC) in its place. The IDMC has since taken over responsibilities previously handled by the NITC, including the management and operation of the Government Integrated Data Center (GIDC).
Under this transition, the operation and management of the “Official Portal of the Government of Nepal” also came under the IDMC. However, Manish Bhattarai, head of the IDMC, said he was unaware that the portal falls under their authority. “I have to understand this,” he said, requesting more time.
Former NITC officials claim the portal had a dedicated virtual machine, and that they handed over all login credentials before their departure. Some of the staff have been entangled in a corruption case filed by the CIAA, while most contract employees have been dismissed.
Initially, Nepal.gov.np, like the Nagarik app was envisioned as an integrated government portal. A former employee said it was first managed by the Prime Minister's Office and later handed over to the NITC. “The site was created to integrate systems like the Citizen App. The idea was to provide a one-stop solution for all domestic and foreign users. During our time, all government websites were linked to it. Maybe now there’s simply no one to update it,” the employee said.
The portal, developed in Java with support from the Asian Development Bank, was due for an upgrade. But not only has it not been updated, current management and staff are unaware that the portal is their responsibility.
Ashok Rana, computer engineer and information officer at IDMC, said they have no control over the portal. At the time, consultant Suman Pokharel was in charge of updating it. When he left about one and a half to two years ago, he handed over all login credentials to computer officer Santosh Kumar Sharma.
Tekpana reached out to Sharma to understand the current status. He confirmed that he still has the login credentials, but the CMS (Content Management System) may not be accessible since no one has been assigned responsibility for the portal.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन १८, २०८२ १५:४०
