India, China to bid for Nepal Machine Readable Passport

KATHMANDU - India and China are likely to bid for the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) contract for which the government had recently called tenders.

According to Kantipur, both countries have recently picked up tender copies for MRP bids at a cost of Rs 10,000 each.

Sources said that the Government of India undertaking, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCI), picked the tender copy.

This company was awarded the contract by the incumbent government on March 19, but it was later scrapped on April 11 following directives from Public Accounts Committee and pressure from political parties.

Besides the cost factor, the deal landed in controversy after a confidential letter written on December. 4, 2009 by Indian envoy Rakesh Sood to Foreign Affairs Minister Sujata Koirala was leaked.

The Foreign Ministry came up with a new tender on May 18, open to all interested firms with a more relaxed format. The new tender paper has not barred any country from taking part in the process.

Companies from Canada, Malaysia and Indonesia have also picked up the tender copies, Kantipur reports. (ANI)