The matter concerns the officials and staff of the state secretariat, who get a mobile phone allowance, albeit with some restraints and restrictions
The babus in Rajasthan Secretariat are a confused lot. While the Central and State governments are promoting ‘go digital’, the state finance department responsible for clearing their cellphone bills says ‘no digital’. What’s more, if their bills contain data usage cost then they stand rejected. The finance department has no provision for making them digitally connected.
The matter concerns the officials and staff of the state secretariat, who get a mobile phone allowance, albeit with some restraints and restrictions. As per an order issued by the finance department around 2014, phone bills will now be cleared only when there is no internet date charges included. The accounts section is following orders and has turned down bills that contain internet usage.
The staff is surprised at this diktat as internet has become a part of their daily functioning. Most officers have formed WhatsApp groups to communicate with their team. Travel plans and meeting schedules are also communicated through the digital social platform. Still, many government employees are opting for only voice plans to get the phone bills reimbursed.
They are not liking it one bit, “Bills that contain internet usage are not getting cleared for last three years. We have been raising the issue at departmental level for a long time and had written about it to the Chief Minister last year. We hope there will be a solution,” said Shivji Ram Jat, the president of the Rajasthan Secretariat Employees Federation.
“Many employees are using internet connection on their personal phones as most of the official communication is on mail and social media platforms. On one hand, we are promoting digital functioning while on the other, we have no provisions to use these facilities. This is a new form of functioning and encouraging it at the institutional level will encourage its expansion,” he added.
My superior has a habit of dropping messages on WhatsApp, what do I tell him, that I will not respond as my bills do not permit it,” questions an employee who did not wish to be named. It is a paradoxical situation that if I include an internet pack, the bill will not be cleared and if I do not, work gets hampered, he added.
“This is absolutely defeating the purpose and intent of Digital India. Rather than cutting out and rejecting bills, a net connection should be made mandatory. Today so many cost effective packs are available and with bulk connection it can be more cost effective. It should be implemented at the earliest,” Jat added,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spelled out his digital priorities immediately after assuming office. Post demonetisation, digital was further promoted, but in Rajasthan the Secretariat moves in a different direction.
FROM GO DIGITAL TO NO DIGITAL
- The staff is surprised at this diktat as internet has become a part of their daily functioning. Most officers have formed WhatsApp groups to communicate with their team. Travel plans and meeting schedules are also communicated through the digital social platform.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Secretariat staff mobile bills")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}