Use of SIM Cards Registered Under Others’ Names to be Restricted!

Nepal Telecommunications Authority is making it an obligation to register a SIM card under the user’s own name.

There’s three major reason so as to why this rule is being enforced right now. The first is to control the uncontrolled use of SIM cards by users from other’s name. The second reason is to enable people to use various facilities provided by the Citizen’s App. The third and probably the most important reason of them all is to trace criminal activities committed through this flaw.

Min Prasad Aryal, spokesperson of the NTA, mentioned that they were introducing this rule to control the overwhelming use of SIM cards by users under another person’s name.

To summarize his words, “Using SIM cards is a daily need for communications. Many criminal cases are carried out through other’s SIM cards. And when we trace these SIM cards, we end up catching the wrong person. So, to solve these problems, this rule is being made mandatory.”

About the new implementation, I think it’s a pretty great approach. Every citizen should actually register SIM cards by their own name. Practically, it’s something like a digital citizenship. It can technically be an identity and can be used for protection as well.

Citizen’s App

In addition, government is also introducing the Citizen’s app, an app that provides various e-governance facilities to people at the tip of their fingerprint. Though the release of the app and the features to be made available haven’t been disclosed yet.

So, what exactly is this “citizen’s app”. In brief, the citizen’s app is an e-governance approach to make certain government related facilities available to the public. Apparently, facilities related to health, communications, farming, business, industry and registration in government offices will be made available.

“Different official functions under Nepal government could be carried out by using the citizen app, and for this, the citizens need to register SIM card with their own citizenship card,” Aryal said.

“We would be able to provide different services to the public and also monitor each individual in case there is misuse of any facility,” said Aryal.

Well, I think the Citizen’s app is more of a double-edged sword. If it can be implemented correctly, it will revolutionize the e-governance scenario of Nepal. On the other hand, if it doesn’t work out properly, it could lift people’s trust from e-governance entirely.

What do you think about this app? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments down below.