MP Govt Announces Plan to Introduce 'Paperless Mantralaya', e-cabinet From April

Bhopal: Persisting with its e-governance initiatives, the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday decided to introduce e-functioning at the secretariat and hold its first paperless e-cabinet in April.

“The formalities for paperless functioning in the secretariat might take another two months and it would be introduced in the month of April,” said Madhya Pradesh government spokesperson Narottam Mishra.

Mishra added that the ministers inducted into the cabinet would be given IT training and that paperless functioning would help save time. “The ministers would make digital signatures on official files,” said Mishra.

He, however, did not specify the exact date when the e-cabinet could be set up.

On the hand, the meeting cleared over Rs two lakh crore of budget proposals for the financial year 2018-19. Several other key proposals were assigned for approval by the cabinet.

Also, three ministers recently inducted into the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet were assigned portfolios. Narayan Singh Kushwah, who has is a cabinet-rank minister, was handed the New and Renewable Energy Ministry while Jalam Singh Patel, who has the rank of Minister of State, was entrusted with the responsibility of the Ayush department with independent charge and Cottage/Rural Industries.

However, Balkrishna Patidar, a MoS with strong ground connect in Malwa-Nimar belt has been made the MoS Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development and has independent responsibility of the Labour Ministry.

The Malwa-Nimar region dominated by Patidars, a community represented by Balkrishna Patidar had sizzled during the farmers’ stir this summer, especially after the killing of five farmers in a police shootout in Mandsaur.

Patidar’s inclusion into the Shivraj cabinet is being seen as a ploy to placate the agitated Patidars in the election year.