KATHAMNDU, MAR 14 - India has turned down Nepal’s request to slash the price of Machine Readable Passport (MRP). The southern neighbour claimed that its offer to supply the smart passports for US$ 4 each is the best offer.

Notably, India’s MRP supply offer includes training for Foreign Ministry officials as well as MRP technicians and a pledge to build an MRP building.

But there’s a legal hitch that’s preventing the Cabinet from awarding the smart passport contract to India. The law has it that a contract should go to the lowest bidder and India’s is not the lowest bid if training and the building pledge are to be set aside. Indonesia has offered to supply the passport at a lower rate — at US$ 3.50. Two Chinese firms have also offered to supply the passports at lower rates.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattrai conveyed Indian unwillingness to slash the price to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal during Saturday’s regular briefing.

“Now, Nepal will formally request India to construct either a Security Printing and Minting Press on foreign ministry premises or a building for the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) at Tripureshwor,” said a senior ministry official.

India’s refusal to supply the MRPs at a lower rate came during a meeting between Nepal’s Ambassador Rukma Sumsher Rana and Satish Mehata, Joint Secretary at India’s Ministry of External Affairs. At the meeting with the prime minister, Sujata reiterated that Nepal should abide by its commitment to let India supply MRPs.

“Before taking a final call on the MRP, the government should bag India’s commitment on the construction of a building for the IFA or the security printing press. This way, it will be easy for the Cabinet to award the contract to India,” the official said, claiming that the prime minister was convinced that India should get

the contract.

Posted on: 2010-03-14 08:24

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