FinMin goes hi-tech, Jaswant to speak only through the net

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Jaswant Singh has decided to communicate with MPs and VVIPs through e-mail to reduce time and improve efficiency.
Hereafter, there will be only "soft" conversations through the net with MPs and VVIPs instead of the "hard" copies by way of letters, said a Finance Ministry spokesperson here on Friday.
The IT-savvy minister has already introduced several innovative steps including putting up a website on the Mid-Year Economic Review and the Kelkar panel recommendations to elicit public views.
The pre-budget interaction with public and experts in various fields were also done through the website for the first time this year by dispensing with the customary pre-budget meetings.
The ministry has also aggressively taken up computerisation drive in the tax departments and plans to reduce the interface between taxpayers and officials.