KATHMANDU: Finance Minister Rameshore Prasad Khanal emphasized the need for coordination among relevant agencies to address weaknesses in revenue collection and prevent leakage.

He made the remarks during a meeting of the Revenue Leakage Control Coordination Committee held on Friday at the Birgunj Customs Office.

Minister Khanal requested all agencies to work together to control smuggling, stressing coordination between relevant authorities rather than merely intercepting goods on transit routes.

“I urge agencies to distinguish between goods brought for daily necessities and smuggled items, and to proceed with the appropriate action accordingly,” he said.

He added that all state agencies must act jointly and not compete with each other, noting that responsibility for revenue collection lies not only with the Ministry of Finance but with all state bodies.

The minister instructed that identified weaknesses in revenue collection should be addressed collectively.

He highlighted the importance of coordination among local administration, customs offices, and all three security agencies to effectively curb illegal smuggling and exports.

“All three security agencies must cooperate in sharing information,” he said, adding that focusing on increasing seizures alone is not the best approach.

Minister Khanal also stressed that border and revenue staff must treat service recipients with politeness and civility.

“We are deployed to serve the people, so all employees should act according to the feelings of the citizens,” he said.