Kathmandu-The government has formed a task force to study software and information technology systems used in public institutions. The Cabinet meeting today decided to form the task force under the coordination of the Prime Minister’s Information and Communication Technology advisor.

The task force will assess the current condition of technology and systems across government bodies. It will examine service delivery and quality. Despite billions of rupees spent on IT procurement over the past decade, citizens have not received the expected benefits.

Projects have moved forward with a focus on procurement rather than service quality. As a result, outcomes remain weak.

Questions have been raised about irregularities in IT procurement in the past.

The government continues to allocate large budgets for Digital Nepal initiatives. Funds are spent annually to digitize decision making and service delivery. Multiple agencies use these budgets.

Spending covers system procurement, training, and human resource management. The pace of procurement is increasing.

Efforts aim to deliver public services online and build a smart government. However, irregularities in such procurement are also rising. Compared to traditional procurement, risks appear higher in IT-related purchases.

Many procurement cases are under court review. The anti-graft body has investigated and filed cases.

Spending often happens without analyzing actual benefits. Systems are purchased at high cost but remain underused. There are cases of overpricing and collusion during procurement.

Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has warned of a new trend. He said irregularities are becoming more sophisticated in smart procurement.

In the past five years, several large procurements have faced controversy. These involve the National Information Technology Center, Security Printing Center, Nepal Telecom, the telecom regulator, and the Department of National ID and Civil Registration.

These systems aim to improve efficiency and ease for citizens. In practice, they often fail to deliver. Those involved in procurement benefit instead.

Even the system of the Public Procurement Monitoring Office has faced irregularities. Standards are unclear or not followed. As a result, systems do not function properly. The online bidding system faces frequent disruptions each year.

Agencies continue to develop separate software and applications for similar services. Competition exists in procurement, not in service delivery. Citizens face inconvenience instead of benefits.

IT procurement is complex. Many officials, oversight bodies, and civil society lack expertise. This allows groups with vested interests to benefit through collusion.