‘80% babus don’t use computers’

Chief minister Ashok Chavan was shocked when he learnt that nearly 80% of the secretaries and top officials do not follow the online procedure using the computer and laptops given to them. Chavan had directed all officials to minimise manual communication and resort to the online mechanism for internal communication within the administration.

Chavan, during a review meeting of the use of information technology on Thursday, was told that IT facilities were not being used effectively by the administration. All government officials have been provided with personal computers and laptops, which are hardly used by them hampering speedy dissemination of work. This has led to delayed response to the complaints received, Chavan was told.

The chief minister then directed the state administration to wind up the manual system of communication and replace it with online mechanism. “All the internal intimations and message should be conveyed and orders to subordinates issued online. The complaints received from the general people should be forwarded to the department concerned online to ensure speedy disposal,” Chavan told the officials.

The CM had appealed to people to make complaints on his email id (ashokchavanmind@rediffmail.com) and the response he received was sizeable with 2,000 complaints in past six months.

“Most complaints were related to co-operation departments and about the alleged misappropriation in the credit societies on district levels. The complaints against BMC and police were also large. Most complaints were forwarded to the department concerned manually, which annoyed the CM,” said an official.