Mumbai, Oct 1 (NationPress) Maharashtra Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar on Wednesday instructed department officials to revise the Government Resolution (GR) to mandate that all information about consultants appointed in Mantralaya be submitted to the IT Department. This move aims to end the exploitation disguised as consultancy services.

“Even though consultants in various government departments at Mantralaya are empanelled through the IT Department, MahaIT has not been receiving information regarding their appointments or payments. Consequently, there is a lack of transparency regarding which agency or individual is appointed, the honorarium or remuneration they receive, and other relevant details,” he elaborated during a meeting to evaluate IT Department policies, programs, and initiatives aimed at enhancing the department.

Minister Shelar pointed out that a significant concern raised in Wednesday’s meeting was the widespread use of consultants across numerous state departments, ministries, and government offices.

According to the 2018 Government Resolution, later updated in 2023, consultants were supposed to be appointed based on departmental necessities, projects, and programs.

“However, it has recently come to light that under the guise of consultancy, six empanelled agencies have assigned 246 individuals across various state government departments. Their salaries and remuneration are being covered by the respective departments, effectively by the state government itself. The IT Department merely empanels the consultants but lacks supervisory control. In some instances, a single private consultant working across multiple departments is earning four to five times more under the title of ‘supervisor.’ This represents a significant drain on the state exchequer, an unjust burden, and blatant exploitation,” he remarked.

To tackle this issue, the IT Department has resolved to establish a centralized portal for all consultancy services.

“All departments will now be required to provide complete details regarding the consultants engaged, including profiles of individuals working within their offices. A new GR will be issued based on this system. If any consultant fails to meet expectations or if a department fails to provide information, strict actions will be enforced. The GR will be issued in consultation with the Chief Minister, detailing corrective measures if consultants fail to perform adequately or if departments do not submit complete information. This decisive action will ensure accountability and prevent the misuse of public funds,” Minister Shelar stated.

Discussing the Golden Data Maha-Samanvay project, Minister Shelar mentioned, “We have accumulated approximately 15 crore data records, with nearly 5-6 crore verified. Work on 144 attributes is complete. I have instructed that certain steps must be finalized before the system goes live or concurrently with obtaining its UID certification.”

He also directed that once MahaIT generates citizen data, a Citizen Awareness System should be developed through the Maha-Samanvay portal to alert citizens as necessary. To mitigate risks from invalid or other modifications on the portal, a robust firewall/safety wall must be integrated into the Golden Data project.

The system must be subjected to advanced load testing to accommodate high citizen traffic while preventing delays or disruptions.

Additionally, he requested that the portal be integrated with DG Yatra for proper configuration, connectivity, and linkage.

An AI-powered search engine should be incorporated into the Maha-Samanvay portal to facilitate data analysis by departmental authorities for advanced insights.

Addressing the WhatsApp citizen service initiative, Minister Shelar emphasized that serving citizens is the government's primary duty. Following directives from the Chief Minister, citizen services, recognized as a right, will also be available via WhatsApp through a partnership with Meta.

“The first 100 services are being offered through the appointed vendor. However, it must be re-evaluated whether the vendor's system can manage over 1,000 sessions or hits per second. According to the CM’s directives, the target is to provide 1,000 services via WhatsApp. After the initial 100, the remaining services should be managed by a new vendor through an updated RFP. The new vendor must be capable of delivering services promptly and efficiently, allowing citizens to access them on WhatsApp with minimal delay,” he added.