Housing authority wants to arm staff with 100 tablet PCs to eliminate paper work and pursue tasks assigned to staff; has floated a tender for the same
Housing authority wants to arm staff with 100 tablet PCs to eliminate paper work and pursue tasks assigned to staff; has floated a tender for the same
With most rooms in government departments buried under avalanches of paper records, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is aiming to diverge from traditional methods of storing paper files. With an aim to keep abreast of technological changes MHADA officials want to purchase tablet PCs (tabs) for its employees.
Tech-savy: To speed up the lengthy paper work process, MHADAu00a0
officials want to purchase tablet PCs for its employees.u00a0
Representation Pic
To cut down paper proliferation, they have invited tenders from firms to provide 104 Tabs and 2 laptops. As per the tender displayed on its website, the cost of a single Tab as per the requirements of MHADA is Rs 32,500 while the laptop costs around Rs 35,000. That means the authority will spend Rs 34 lakh to make its department tech-savvy.u00a0
"We have invited tenders and one of the main reasons to provide Tabs is to speed up the lengthy paper work process. With the help of a software, Mobile Software Task Manager (MSTM), that would be installed in the Tabs, the head of departments will keep track of daily work and will also know what work has been assigned to whom," said a MHADA official, on condition of anonymity.u00a0
In the past MHADA Vice President Satish Gavai had said that the main reason behind starting or bringing this initiative would be to increase efficiency and transparency of work that is done in MHADA. "At times we have seen that once a task is assigned, no one bothers to follow up, but through this system the assigner and the person who has been assigned the task would both be getting constant reminders. So he will have to complete the work assigned to him in a stipulated time or else he will have to answer to his seniors about the delay," added the official.
At present the housing authority has appointed a company to design software that would enable MHADA officials to remind others and their subordinates about the tasks that are assigned to them and need to be completed. Through this software the authorities will also be able to keep a check on the status of various works that has been appointed to their subordinates.u00a0
However, there might be a technical glitch in the usage of these devices. Officials feel that it would be nothing less than a challenge to use the Tabs as the language of interaction in these files would be in Marathi and that it would become difficult to accustom themselves with change in language while typing.u00a0To counter this, authorities informed that the installation of a Unicode font in the tablets would resolve the issue.
Rs 34 lakh
The amount MHADA will spend to buy tablet PCs for its employees
Rs 32,500
The cost of a single tablet as per MHADA requirements