Kathmandu, Aug 11: Minister for Finance, Dr Swarnim Wagle, has highlighted the need to digitize and digitally preserve government documents to ensure their long-term security.
Airing his views in the meeting of the Public Account Committee under the House of Representatives today, Minister Wagle said the government must prioritize the digitization public records and secure preservation of official records.
The meeting centered on discussing the failure of the Office of the Auditor General to audit 179 public offices whose records were destroyed in fires or vandalism during the Gen-Z uprising on September 8 and 9 last year.
The Minister recalled the experience of the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015 when digitally backed-up government records supported continuity of public services and reaffirmed government’s commitment to straightening digital record-keeping.
He also informed that the systems under the Revenue and Treasury Controller offices escaped unscathed (remained safe) during the Gen-Z movement last year.
The two-day uprising during the first week of September had left behind devastation across the country as several public offices were set ablaze or vandalized, inflicting over estimated Rs 150 billion in destruction to public records.
Consequently, the Office of the Auditor General could not conduct audits of those affected offices.
During the meeting, he mentioned that the destruction of the public records occurred under circumstances was beyond the government’s control.
He, thus, underscored the importance of digitizing public records and secure them within the existing legal provisions/framework.
Minister Wage viewed that the Committee should conduct on-site studies and investigate whether those affected offices had committed any irregularities.
He also pledged to act in accordance with the Committee’s guidance. “If the Committee understands that the circumstances were not beyond control, let us amend the law,” said the Finance Minister.
He also articulated that there was no difference of opinion between the government and the opposition regarding the nature of the problem.
