Kendrapara Goes Digital: Salaries Withheld for Non-Compliance

The Kendrapara district withheld November salaries of employees in 51 government offices for not implementing OSWAS, a digital workflow system. This e-governance initiative aims to improve efficiency by replacing manual processes with digital ones. The district has been urged repeatedly to adopt the system.

The Kendrapara district has taken a hard stance on digital compliance, withholding November salaries for employees in 51 government offices. This is due to their failure to implement the Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System (OSWAS), an initiative designed to promote paperless operations.

Reports indicate that this directive could affect up to 300 employees, particularly those in panchayat offices. The state has mandated the digital workflow to enhance operational efficiency, but only 73 of the district's 124 government offices have complied.

District Collector Raghuram R Iyer emphasized that non-adherence to the mandate violates a government notification. Despite repeated training sessions, many employees have yet to transition to the OSWAS system, prompting this disciplinary action.

(With inputs from agencies.)