"All the information related to a citizen will be contained in that card," said Prime Minister Nepal addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Government Integrated Data Centre's (GIDC) newly constructed building set up on the Singh Durbar premises. He added that the Election Commission's cards for eligible voters and passports would be machine readable too.

The government had stated in the budget announcement that it would distribute smart cards to each citizen containing a picture as a national identity card which can also be used for election purposes.

Prime Minister Nepal said that the establishment of the GIDC was a foundation for moving the nation into e-governance and helping to further revolutionize the country's information technology sector. "Development of the information technology sector is a must to make service delivery effective to people living in inaccessible areas of the country," he added. 

The data centre, which is considered to be the backbone of e-governance and the brain of information and communication technology, was established under a grant assistance of

Rs. 230 million from the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) of the Korean government. It is one of the 31 governmental data centres in the world.  

Speaking at the ceremony, Korean Ambassador Hong Sung Mong said that the data centre was a milestone of the friendly relationship between Korea and Nepal. "It will especially support Nepal for implementing e-governance," the ambassador added.

Subarna Shakya, executive director of the National Information Technology Centre, said that the data centre was set up under the government's master plan to develop infrastructure for implementation of e-governance in the country. "The establishment of the data centre can also be taken as the beginning of e-governance in the country," Shakya added.

The data centre has a capacity of storing up to 26 terabytes of data for about 15 years and will compile data from all the ministries, departments and government offices.

The centre is equipped with the most sophisticated and modern equipment and stands near the Ministry of Home Affairs. The two-storey reinforced concrete structure is spread over 1,601 sq ft. The centre is built to withstand natural disasters and is earthquake resistant up to 9 on the Richter scale.