e-Office initiative for paperless smart governance

Abstract

This project aims to share real-time experience of e-office implementation and way forward to reach to maximum governance and minimum government. The study pertains to the experience of digitising files of Agriculture department, initiative and implementation of e-office in the agriculture department and the entire secretariat of AP Government. During the division of Andhra Pradesh into two states in 2014, there was an urgent need to divide manual files (paper documents) for two states i.e., Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Each department of AP secretariat had to digitise files (scanning and copying in CD form). After digitising/ scanning all the files, AP Government took a decision to stop work with manual files and start work with e-office. I worked as a nodal officer for e-office on behalf of agriculture and cooperation department, AP secretariat. Different stages of implementation of e-office are as follows. i. e-office within the Agriculture and Co-operation Department. ii. e-office across the departments i.e. agriculture department files will be sent electronically to different departments like finance, law, general administrative department, minister and CM. iii. e-cabinet, i.e. cabinet without papers in AP Government. e-Office is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the National e-Governance Programme of the Government. The product is developed by national informatics centre ie NIC aims to usher in more efficient, effective and transparent inter-Government and intra Government transactions and processes. The e-Office means the new e-Office System is an integrated file and records management system that allows employees to manage content, search for data internally and collaborate. The file system also enables the electronic movement and the tracking of files, and the archival and retrieval of data. The object behind the e-Office is to go for paperless office. In e-office, use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced. This is done by converting documents and other papers into digital form for effective and transparent inter-government and intra-government processes and transactions.