The government has decided to scrap the work procedure prepared by the former home minister Rabi Lamichhane to award the contract of the national identity card.

The Cabinet on Tuesday took the decision besides forming a three-member probe team led by a secretary of the prime minister’s office.

“Today’s cabinet meeting decided to scrap the work procedure related to the national identity card,” said Rekha Sharma, spokesperson of the government at a press meet organised to reveal the government’s decision following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “The Cabinet also decided to investigate how the decision was made, as well as the overall issue.”

Sharma said the decision was made in the broader context of national security and security of personal data.

Former deputy prime minister and home minister Lamichhane, who also chairs Rastriya Swatantra Party, had awarded the contract of the national identity card to an international company.

The Cabinet decision to scrap the work procedure was taken as per the proposal of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who has been saying that the work procedure brought in contradiction of the Public Procurement Act would be scrapped.

However, former home minister Lamichhane, who is contesting by-election from Chitwan-2 on April 23, has maintained that his decision on the matter was only a continuity of a process that had been underway long before he came to office.