Coal ministry babus apprehensive of implementing e-office due to CBI probe

NEW DELHI: Coal Ministry officials are "apprehensive" of implementing an e-office project due to the CBI probe into the alleged coal blocks allocation scam, a senior government official said today.

The e-office project is aimed at ensuring 100 per cent computerisation of government processes through digitised files.

"Because of the CBI investigations, no Coal Ministry official was willing to implement the e-office project," the Joint Secretary level officer said at a workshop on e-governance being presided over by Union minister Jitendra Singh and 172 newly-inducted IAS officers.

"There was a tough time in making officers understand that e-office will only help you and save you from being a victim of CBI probe. Once records are digitised there will be no fear of any document go missing. Now they are moving very fast on this," the senior IAS officer said.

The assertion assumes importance as there have been cases of crucial files and documents going missing in Coal and Home ministries.

When asked, Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said, "In many ways the security of documents is foolproof in e-office as compared to manual system."

The CBI and Coal Ministry had earlier agreed that certain documents relating to coal blocks allocation cases were not "traceable". An investigation was launched to trace them.

Whereas in the Home Ministry, papers related to Ishrat Jahan case had also gone missing.