Digital: Delhi govt set for an e-switch

NEW DELHI: Come June 30 and Delhi government will switch to digital working with all its files, notings, circulars and orders recorded and forwarded from one section to another in the electronic form.
To eliminate the physical file system and move ahead with paperless working, Delhi government has decided to adopt an e-office system. Officials said all departments have been asked to put the required infrastructure in place to ensure a smooth rollout of the project.

However, sources confirmed that highly confidential files may continue to be sent from one official or department to another only in the physical format. All senior officials and junior staff, including nodal officers notified by each department, are being trained for smooth functioning of the system.
Though the Delhi cabinet had approved the implementation of e-office in all departments, autonomous and local bodies in 2015, some departments implemented it and some used it for a while and then discarded it. Physical movement of files with handwritten notes and orders continued to remain in practice.
In a meeting held earlier this month, chief secretary Naresh Kumar insisted on complete adoption of the e-office system. “A new version is being rolled out, which will be more user-friendly. Earlier, officials were supposed to log in using digital signatures or username and passwords, which was a slightly tedious process. Now, they can log in by using biometrics,” said an official.
The movement of all files can be tracked online. Each file has a unique number and every official and junior staff can check its status and current location online. “But officials won’t be able to see what’s being recorded in those files. The observations and file notings can only be seen on the physical file. This system is going to change from June 30,” an official said.
While there are hundreds of files in each department, 10-12 are in movement at any given point in time. Sources said all new files and those in movement would initially be recorded digitally. In the meantime, all older files would be digitised.
All departments have been told to set up a central record unit, equipped with high-speed scanners, computers and internet connectivity, for scanning records and uploading in e-office. However, all electronic files will also have physical backups.
“You can’t have strictures that only the digital system will work. We will also have to maintain physical copies of most files. But there will be efforts that only a limited number of very important pages are printed and put in the file,” said the official.