The departmental review meeting with the Department of Information Technology and Communication and the Department of Power was held on 22nd April 2022 at the Chief Secretary’s Conference hall. The team of senior government official led by Chief Secretary J Alam discussed at length with officials of both Departments issues related to the day to day activities as well as the projects currently being undertaken and problems if any that is hampering the smooth functioning of the two departments.
The Department of Information Technology and Communication gave a detailed power point presentation regarding the activities currently being undertaken and shared a few infrastructure and capital shortage issues that the department was facing which in turn was greatly affecting the service output of the department. The department of IT & C also highlighted the issue of non-availability of real time data and information and regular updates from certain departments as a cause for concern when it comes to maintaining the official portal of the State Government and also in providing regular updates and information to the general public. Apart from these the department of IT and C also shared some of the important activities currently being undertaken by the department like the State Data Centre which hosts the websites and applications of 70 departments, the online Inner Line Permit, Common Service Centres across the State, etc. One of the most important outcome of the meeting was the proposal made by the Chief Secretary and his team to phase out the manual process of issuing inner line permit and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Certificates and to make the whole process digital within a time period of three to four months. Chief Secretary J Alam commended the IT & C department for all the good work it was doing and urged upon the officers of the department to further continue to bring new developments and innovations to the working of the State Government.
The Department of Power also presented a very detailed report of its activities and projects currently being undertaken and also projects that are yet to be approved. The department also expressed that the biggest problem it was facing was the shortage of manpower in carrying out maintenance work which is infact one of the most vital functions of the department. One major discussed in detail during the meeting was the purchase of power at very high rates from certain power sources. The Department also highlighted some of the new solar plant projects that the department was going to undertake in the coming months. In conclusion Chief Secretary J Alam also commended the power department for relatively improving the power situation in the state and also in improving the power purchase and revenue generation deficit.
(Morotsung Longchar IA Kohima)
