If this plan proved to be successful, then the prospects of the v i persons in the field of clerical jobs will be more heigh.
Renuka. Date:03/02/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/02/03/stories/2009020353860400.htm Kerala - Kochi proved to be successful, then the prospects of the v i persons in the field of clerical jobs will be more heigher. Renuka. T. Ramachandran Expected to enhance efficiency of government offices considerably -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hardware and software almost ready e-mail messages to be official records -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KOCHI: The full-fledged process of providing official e-mail ids to all State government employees will be formally launched in a few days, as the setting up, configuring and testing of the hardware and software have almost been completed at the State Data Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. A group from the Centre for the Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT), led by P.G. Gigy, team leader, Open Source Technology team, is executing the project. The ground has been prepared for the rollout in phases, following its formal launch, probably by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. In the first phase, the e-mail ids will be provided only to the departments that request these, but ultimately all 4.5 lakh or so employees can have one. Right now, e-mail ids have been allotted only to nearly 400 employees in the Secretariat. Paperless mode The Web-based e-mail service utilises an open source software package, Horde Webmail, a free, enterprise-ready, browser-based communication suite. Users can read, send and organise e-mail messages and manage and share calendars, contacts, tasks and notes. This is expected to considerably enhance the efficiency of government functioning because it can gradually substitute the slow, paper-based communication with an instantaneous e-mail-based one, apart from reducing costs. Employees will have the responsibility for the control and management of the e-mail content. A committee has been set up to formulate a naming policy to ensure that the e-mail ids are assigned in a proper manner, since these will be allotted on the basis of the employee's official position and not his name or other personal criteria. The policy will evolve over time as the process gathers momentum and more and more e-mail ids are assigned. Legal implications The use of e-mail-based official correspondence raises certain legal implications. While the IT Act provides legal sanctity to electronic records and provides statutory support to record-management in an electronic environment, the Public Records Act calls for the handling of e-mail messages as public records, and are covered by the same rules of disclosure as would paper-based records. These may have to be accessed in keeping with legal processes or Right to Information requests. As such, proper rules have to be applied to the use of e-mail ids for official correspondence and the users have to be made responsible for all the e-mail that they handle officially. In this context, guidelines prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances under the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions have been adapted to meet the State's requirements. The State government issued an order relating to the use and management of e-mails some months ago. E-mail messages connected with the conduct of government business will be treated as official records and as official property. These are to be retained as such to meet various official requirements. Whenever e-mail ids other than the official ones are used, the employees will be obliged to ensure that the records are filed, retained and accessible. While employees are free to delete mail unrelated to government business, the back-up infrastructure will ensure that even the deleted mail is stored centrally for at least five years. A set of detailed instructions will be in place to specify the sort of e-mail messages that the employees should not delete and those that can be deleted. Employees will have to maintain privacy and security relating to the use of their e-mail ids. They should not leave their computers unsecured or share their passwords. With the spread of computerisation and e-governance, and the requirement that all government departments should have an IT division, the use of e-mail for official purposes is expected to significantly grow in the coming years. To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
