PM Modi's eCabinet plans: Paperless governance sounds great, but needs to address security concerns

The stereotyped image of government offices - with piled papers and stacks of files - may change soon. The Modi government wants its top bureaucrats and ministers to tap into tablets and e-readers that will be powered by a new app to make cabinet meetings paperless with an online portal called Cabinet, reveals a report by Hindustan Times. The new app is said to be secure and encrypted. It’s  been sometime that we’ve been hearing about the government’s plans to go paperless, but if everything goes as planned, we won’t have to wait more than six to eight months. “The ministry of communication and information technology has already moved a note seeking the views of the law ministry on the proposal. If all goes to plan, the government should be able to fully migrate to eCabinet meetings in the next six to eight months. The move is in line with the Centre’s e-governance push to make decision-making faster and more efficient,” adds the report. The aim of the e-Cabinet is to get rid of all the physical file movements in inter-ministerial consultation on cabinet proposals. The portal will create e-records instead of file notings and archive all responses from ministers. Basically, all the file movement will go online, instead of orderlies (peons) carrying them around. Moreover, there will be a digital archive of all the relevant documents for quick reference and one won’t have to look for a document from a heap of files. Every minister will have to log into the portal and will be restricted from sharing the login details and passwords with anyone. Now, this isn’t something new. Last year in September, Andhra Pradesh became the first state to initiate such a system with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu by holding a paperless eCabinet meeting. The state has organised a special training camp and iPads were distributed to state ministers. While it brings everything from effective and real-time file tracking to maintaining digital archive and speedy work, it still leaves us with several unanswered questions. Firstly, with the increasing number of hacks and cyber crime instances, how safe can this app be? If the system is susceptible to hacking, it would mean a lot of confidential information would be compromised. In case of loss or theft, scores of confidential data could be at risk. The government would have to make features such as remote locking or remote reset mandatory in devices. It is also important that the device is limited to official work and not for personal browsing of random/malicious sites. Moreover, every minister may not be tech savvy. This means, the government would have to train officials and ministers on how to go mobile and, more importantly, about Internet best practices. Cabinet secretary, Ajit Seth, is open to the proposal. However, he is looking into extensive checks before deciding to go paperless, adds the report. The government is also still examining the potential risks before finally migrating to a paperless route. While going paperless seems a great move with real-time file tracking, it needs to be tested properly before being implemented. The system needs to be tested for safety and should come with sufficient security features.