IT department, TCS in pact

In a move that will expedite movement of files and also usher in more transparency and efficiency among different departments of the Orissa government, the state IT department has teamed up with software major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for an e-governance project.

The state IT department is investing Rs 25 crore in this project called Orissa Secretariat Workflow Automation System (OSWAS) which will enable electronic movement of files of all the departments of the state government. “We signed an agreement with TCS for implementation of OSWAS project on September 26 this year.

This project will be implemented over a period of three years in two phases. The first phase will cover 16 departments of the state government, including the Chief Minister’s office and it will be completed by March next year”, PK Mohapatra, commissioner cum secretary of the state IT department told Business Standard. Mohapatra said that the IT department has already initiated the training programme for the entire secretariat staff to enable effective implementation of this project and TCS will further strengthen this training programme.

The successful implementation of this project will ensure electronic movement of all files, thereby drastically cutting the paper work. The electronic movement of files will help to track the right department with which a particular file is pending.

The implementation of this project will benefit all stakeholders be they government officials, corporates or the common people and the project is a part of our commitment to provide citizen centric services to the people, claimed Mohapatra.

The new system would lead to an efficient and transparent administration, efficient monitoring and control, effective internal information exchange, building a knowledge base and also enable a robust decision support system.

The system will provide an online dashboard to enable users to monitor work related to their sections and departments and it would provide an appropriate security mechanism to ensure security at various levels like functional level and transaction level.

OSWAS is an application intended to automate the functions of the government departments, thereby developing a structured and collaborative work environment in the Secretariat, effective decision making and also effective prioritisation of work.