Govt procuring over 200 vehicles for three security agencies

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs is procuring vehicles for all three security agencies to ensure that the upcoming House of Representatives elections are held in a peaceful and fear-free environment.

According to the Home Minister’s Secretariat, the procurement process moved ahead after the Ministry of Finance arranged the required budget for the purchase. The ministry has said that all the required vehicles will be procured before the elections.

The Ministry of Finance has approved Rs 351.1 million for the purchase of 156 vehicles for the Nepal Police through the regular budget. An additional Rs 453 million in supplementary resources has also been approved for the purchase of 106 more vehicles.

Nepal Police is preparing to procure vehicles worth a total of Rs 804.1 million in the current fiscal year. Among the 156 vehicles to be purchased through the regular budget are 75 pickup vans for routine patrol, one prisoner van, 28 office-use vehicles, 41 electric vehicles and 10 escort pickup vans.

Similarly, the Finance Ministry has authorized resources for the Armed Police Force to procure 59 vehicles. This includes three disaster-response vehicles, 50 pickup vans, three riot-control trucks and two ambulances.

Similarly, Rs 28 million has been approved to procure six four-wheelers for the National Investigation Department.

As many as 571 police vehicles were damaged across the country during the Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9.