With a view to bring in more transparency and efficiency in works, government’s construction major, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has undergone a major digital transformation, enabling payments worth Rs 20,000 crore per year electronically.
Officials said that this has been done by networking all the 400 field offices of CPWD across the country through a special integrated portal ensuring digital payments from this month.
CPWD executes over 25,000 project works across the country, involving annual payments of over Rs.20,000 crore every year by it’s 400 field offices including in remote, hilly and North-Eastern parts. The new digital payment mode covers over six lakh transactions.
Moreover, electronic measurement book (e-MB) has also been developed for CPWD that enables reporting of progress of works online as per the schedule of agreement with contractors based on which payments will be made.
To bring in more efficiency, e-MB has been made mandatory from the first of next month doing away with manual reporting by all the 400 field offices.
Officials said that Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary, the ministry of housing and urban affairs, has directed the agency to further ensure geotagging of physical progress of works for effective monitoring.