To bring greater accountability and transparency to the administration and put an end to the prevalent ‘babu and suvidha-shulk culture’, the UP state government on October 27, 2017, launched e-Office in 22 of 95 departments.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated an e-Office at a function held at Tilak Hall in the State Secretariat. Converting the 22 departments to e-Offices is expected cost Rs 57 crore.
Adityanath called it a historic day in the history of the state, saying the move would usher in a new work culture.
“The e-Office system will not only bring transparency and accountability in administration but also secure important government data in digital form. From today, these departments will go paper-less,” he said.
Under the e-Office system, software will automatically generate a file which cannot be held at any desk for more than three days, and those delaying a file beyond that will have to furnish an explanation. One of the aims of such a system is also to end the so-called suvidha shulk practice, wherein delaying a file for bribe was a common practice.
Soon after taking over as the chief minister, Yogi Adityanath had announced he would introduce e-Office in each department to change the ‘babu culture’ in the state. The aim was to check corruption, cut unnecessary delays in the passage of files, and eliminate harassment of the public.
The CM Secretariat, Chief Secretary Office, Information department, Civil Aviation, Excise, Environment, Mining, Sports, Small Irrigation, Culture, IT and Electronics are among the departments where-Office has been introduced.
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) will train about 13 lakh government employees on the functioning and use of the software.
The IT and Electronics department has been made the nodal agency to implement e-Office system in all government departments.
