TCS bags Rs 40 cr deal to move files electronically in Odisha

Project awarded for five years via tender, in which Wipro and another company also participated

Leading IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has bagged a contract in Odisha to implement the Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System (OSWAS) recently for cutting down on cumbersome paper work. The contract is valued at Rs 40 crore

"OSWAS has been implemented in the state secretariat for the last five years. TCS has bagged a contract of about Rs 40 crore to implement the OSWAS 2.0 with added features that will accommodate more notes. All the 39 departments will be using the services," said a senior official of OCAC (Odsiha Computer Application Centre), the implementing agency and the technical directorate of the state electronics and IT department.

TCS has been awarded the project for five years through a tender route in which Wipro and another company also participated. TCS emerged as the L1 bidder. At present, the IT behemoth is already managing the project for the state government.

"The physical movement of official files and documents incurs a lot of time and requires continuous monitoring from desk to desk before the final decision is made by senior officials. Consequently, many crucial decisions get delayed due to the slow movement of files and/or unavailability or absence of senior officials for clearing these files. With OSWAS, the file movement gets speed and the accountability also gets enhanced," said an official.

"The citizens will be the indirect beneficiaries, as the process of decision making will be faster. It is an application for government to employee", the official said.

"Gujarat and Punjab have similar systems in their respective governments. But, it is partially implemented while the e-filing of files in Odisha is uniquely designed and has been successfully implemented. Some of the departments have also become paperless", he added.

OCAC has already issued the work order to TCS for implementing the project.

Officials said that the central auditor Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pulled up the state government for failing to successfully implement the OSWAS last year. However, the system is now functioning in a robust manner, they added.