KARACHI, Feb 26: The Sindh government took a lead over other provinces on Monday when five of its departments opted for modern technology with the launching of the paperless “electronic office pilot project.” Advisor to the chief minister on Information Technology Muhammad Noman Saigal, declared the project open by pushing a button.
In the first phase, the education, health, finance, planning and development and services and general administration departments were linked with e-office through software developed by the information technology department. In the second phase, the e-office system would be introduced in all other department, Saigal said.
He said under e-government, LAN/WAN infrastructure had been set up in the secretariat building and all five departments were equipped with 200 computers, UPS, printers and stabilisers. In the new system, all files would be fed into the computers and noting on the files, its movements and tracking would be electronic.
The adviser said initially along with e-office, the present traditional filing system would be maintained but later on gradually all filing would be switched over to paperless electronic technology and the traditional filing system would be given up.
To a question he said under e-office, all files and data will be protected in the central server and it would be ensured that only authorised users make notings on the file and no other person tampers with the file.
Mr Saigal said a file tracking system had been made part of the software. Under this system, the file could be tracked which would help in improving performance of the department.
The e-government project would be completed at a cost of Rs40 million.
Earlier, Secretary IT Department Yahya Waliullah welcoming the guests, recalled the obstacles faced in acquiring and introducing e-office by pointing out that being a newly created department, there was shortage of qualified manpower due to ban on the employment, followed by non-availability of information and files. He said the department in three-and-half years had trained 15,000 government employees.
Additional Secretary Asif Zaman Khan presented the vote of thanks.
