KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has issued a five-point circular to all District Administration Offices (DAOs), directing them to improve public services and make service delivery more transparent, simple, prompt and effective.

The circular, issued by Joint Secretary Ananda Kafle, instructs DAOs to take legal action against individuals who illegally collect money from service recipients on the pretext of providing assistance or facilitating access to government services.

The DAOs have also been directed to give priority to persons with disabilities, people who are ill or infirm, pregnant women, women with young children, senior citizens and those who have travelled from distant areas to access government services.

According to the circular, Citizen Support Desks must provide free access to all applications and forms used by DAOs. The desks have also been instructed to offer free online form-filling services for national identity cards and passports, photocopying and scanning, document printing, and email services for sending and receiving documents.

The ministry has further directed government and non-government offices in the districts to arrange similar free assistance through Citizen Support Desks based on the nature of services they provide.

The DAOs have also been instructed to regularly publish information on service procedures and other requirements through their official websites, social media platforms and other appropriate channels.

The ministry has directed the offices to keep their websites regularly updated to ensure that citizens can easily access accurate and timely information about government services.