Odisha govt. merges directorates with administrative departments

Move aimed at speeding up the process of decision making

BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA, 07/05/2017: Odisha state's chief minister Naveen Patnaik looks at the Raj Bhawan in his cabinet's new ministers oath taking ceremony in Bhubaneswar on May 07, 2017. Photo: Biswaranjan Rout

In order to streamline the functioning of all directorates and speed up the process of decision making, the Odisha government has decided to integrate different directorates with their respective administrative departments to function as composite departments with immediate effect.

According to a resolution passed by the General Administration and Public Grievance (GA & PG) Department on Wednesday, the integrated department shall function on the premises of the respective administrative departments/directorates as may be decided by the administrative department, keeping in view the availability of space and convenience.

The move comes days after the State government appointed senior bureaucrat Asit Kumar Tripathy as the Chief Secretary, who, upon assuming the office, said he would ensure faster movement of files in all government offices in the State.

Mr. Tripathy had said that all departments will adhere to the “5T initiative” — transparency, teamwork, technology, time and transformation — of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Mr. Patnaik holds the portfolio of the GA & PG Department.

Single-file system

There will be a single-file system through the Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System (OSWAS) and every proposal referred by the directorate shall not be required to be reinitiated or re-examined in the department, the resolution said.

The different sections common to both the offices shall be appropriately reorganised and officers and staff will be utilised accordingly in the composite departments to ensure better efficiency and avoid duplication of work and wastage of time.

Surplus staff, if any, shall be surrendered to the pool being managed by the administrative reforms cell of the GA & PG Department for redeployment and vacant posts at the lowest level shall be abolished as per the guidelines of the Finance Department. The staff concerned will continue to remain in their cadres and will avail all service benefits, the resolution stated.

Necessary steps will be taken to make budget provisions for the composite department, and budget provisions for the integrated department shall be made from the next financial year in consultation with the Finance Department.

The OSWAS system operative in the Secretariat shall be modified to integrate the directorates with their respective departments immediately and the directorates will submit only electronic files after due scanning of existing files, the resolution added.