Chairman of the fourth State Finance Commission, BK Joshi has asked the State’s information technology additional secretary to facilitate the assistance required by urban local bodies and Panchayats to redress hurdles being faced in the digitalisation of these bodies.
The commission chairman said this while addressing a workshop held at the cyber treasury meeting hall at lakshmi Road to review the status of the progress achieved in the task of inclusion of information technology in the functioning of Panchayat and urban local bodies here on Monday.
During the workshop, the fourth State Finance Commission chairman sought relevant information from officials of Panchayats and urban local bodies regarding progress achieved in the online process.
Addressing those attending the workshop, the commission chairman said that the purpose of organising the workshop was to review the extent and the manner in which the utilisation of information technology is being made in order to bring about the desired transparency, pace of work and ascertaining answerability in the local bodies and Panchayats.
Speaking on the occasion, member secretary of the fourth state finance commission, lM Pant expressed dissatisfaction at the urban local bodies not being able to implement the software at the departmental level and at the house tax/commercial tax system procedure not being put to use for a long time now.
He also assured that the commission will provide the assistance that is required in the development process of establishing the software process for swift utilisation of information technology in the urban local bodies and Panchayats.
The commission will also help the Panchayats and urban local bodies make necessary amendments and action for residential tax process and full collection of the tax. Assistance required will also be provided by the state finance commission towards facilitation of 100 per cent implementation of online procedure in the bodies, said Pant, while also directing officials of the Urban Development department to present a proposal for this.
Pant further directed the officials concerned to ensure that the necessary human resource is made available for the online procedure along with which the process for according necessary training to its personnel should also be completed.
The fourth State finance commission member secretary Avikal Thapliyal, CMS Bisht and information technology additional secretary Amarendra Chauhan along with other departmental officials concerned were also among those who were present in the workshop.