Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 26: In order to protect the official record from being damaged in any incident like the one that took place on July 11, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has issued directions for digitization of entire record of the four key departments in the Civil Secretariat while as directions have been issued for strict compliance regarding utilization of fixed amount of budget by the departments for Information Technology related activities, which included upkeep and protection of official files.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that within days after the record of nearly a dozen departments was gutted in the devastating fire in the Civil Secretariat at Srinagar, Chief Minister called a meeting of Minister of State for Information Technology, Feroz Ahmed Khan and the officers of the IT Department and discussed the issue of digitization of the record of offices in the Civil Secretariat complex.
In the meeting, it was decided that process of digitization of official record would begin with the four key departments—-Law, Planning and Development, Finance and General Administration besides the record of the State Legislative Assembly and Council.
Accordingly, Chief Minister directed the Minister of State for Information Technology to get a formal proposal prepared indicating all the aspects including the financial implications involved in the same so that digitization activity could be set in motion as early as possible, sources said.
Stating that Information Technology Department has submitted the detailed proposal as desired by the Chief Minister, sources said, “Omar Abdullah will give go ahead to the Information Technology Department within next few days and even pass necessary directions for extending financial assistance, if any, to the IT Department so that funds don’t become hurdle in the digitization exercise”.
In response to a question, they said that soon after the formal approval from the Chief Minister, Information Technology Department in consultation with the departments of Law, Finance, Planning and Development and General Administration would work out the figures vis-à-vis number of files to be digitized and then float open tenders inviting bids for carrying out the task.
Disclosing that digitization of record of Higher Education Department has already been going on, sources said, “M/s Pyramid Technologies, which has been entrusted with the task, has conveyed that it would try to complete digitization within next three months”, adding “the other departments in the Civil Secretariat will be taken up in the second and subsequent phases”.
Replying to another query, sources said that following digitization the record of these departments will remain saved in the State Data Centre, which has already been operational, and the concerned department would be able to build up the copies of the files at any time.
Meanwhile, Government has issued directions to the Administrative Departments to strictly comply with the directions issued in March 2011 regarding allocation of some portion of total budget for information technology related activities.
“The departments are required to earmark 1.5% of the outlay for information technology related activities, which include upkeep of record and computerization etc”, sources said, adding “in majority of the departments these directions were not being complied with strictly”.
Responding to another question, sources said, “among the 12 departments, whose record suffered damage in the July 11 incident, Higher Education Department is the worst sufferer and directions have been issued to collect the copies of the record from Colleges”.
Similarly, office of Director General Accounts and Treasuries, which too lost almost all the record in the fire, has also started collecting copies of the record from the divisional offices. Even the employees of the departments, whose record gutted in the incident, have been directed to come forward with the copies of their service record.
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