From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Oct 18: Karnataka Government has signed a contract with software major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for providing software solution facilitating integrated financial management of all spending and resource mobilisation of state treasury funds.
Under the major e-governance initiative, ‘Khajane-II’ programme, the government would provide an integrated electronic platform for all stakeholders, to carry out their financial transactions and to share data in a seamless manner for their decision making, accounting and auditing of public finance, making payments to and from the government convenient to the public and enhancing transparency in management of public finances.
TCS Vice-President Tanmoy Chakrabarthy and State Treasury Director N T Abroo signed the agreement in the presence of Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda. Additional Chief Secretary K Jairaj, Finance Department Principal Secretary L V Nagaraj, and Secretary Ajay Seth were also present.
Khajane-II seeks to take e-governance to the next level following implementation of the government’s Khajane-I programme over the last 10 years since 2001.
Khajane – II would be exclusively use digital signatures in its day to day operations.
Out of 13 firms, including Infosys Technologies Limited and Wipro Technologies, participated in the tender process, TCS has been selected for executing Rs. 80 crore project and would establish the system and provide operation and maintenance support for six years.
A pilot project under the Khajane-II programme would be completed by next April and the final project would be rolled out by April, 2013, Chakrabarthy said.
Gowda wanted TCS to advance the deadline for implementation of Khajane-II ahead of the 2013 Assembly polls in the state.
When fully operational, Khajane-II will provide a daily synopsis of activity in the accounts of the state government and an online system for release of funds.
All transactions would be through an electronic clearing service (ECS) mechanism, obviating the need for the 80 lakh challans used currently for transactions.
The treasury and banks will interact online through a secure network and share information in a real-time environment.