‘Paperless office’ becoming a reality

By the end of the month, a majority of the services will be available online.

The e-governance programme being implemented in the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) will be taken to new heights with the inclusion of more software for implementing the paperless office concept by the end of December 2013.

By the end of March this year, the majority of the services will be available online. For the first time, the preparation of plan projects by local bodies has been computerised by including the expenditure component also. Around 1.87 lakh projects have been uploaded by 1,180 local bodies which helps to vet them and finalise the projects. IKM executive chairman and director M Shamsuddin said that this was for the first time in the country that the plan projects of local bodies were made available on the website for speeding up the process of implementation. Projects to the tune of `8,400 crore including the plan fund, local body fund and others, are included in it. “IKM is in the process of developing a software for implementing the paperless local body concept. The software could be installed by the end of this year,” Shamsuddin said.

The e-governance programme will be incorporated with the m-governance programme which has the facility for file tracking, SMS alert for birth and death. The software developed by the National Rural Health Mission for mother and child tracking will be integrated in local bodies. This will help in monitoring a woman from pregnant stage through the birth of a child and providing regular information through SMS on medical care and vaccination. IKM is also in the process of modifying building tax software and installing it to help remit professional tax, rent on building and land and entertainment tax on line. A total e-governance local body with all the facilities will be completed in seven months, he said. The uploading of plan funds this year has helped the local bodies in preparing the projects for the next year in advance.

 Around 120 panchayats have already started preparation of the projects for the next financial year and the final decision on the plan projects could be received by October, 2013.

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