CPWD goes digital at field level

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Government’s construction major, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), has undergone a major digital transformation enabling payments worth Rs 20,000 crore per year electronically. This has been done by networking all the 400 field offices of CPWD across the country through a special integrated portal ensuring digital payments from this month. With this, CPWD has become the first organization of a civil ministry to become digital at the field level.
CPWD executes over 25,000 project works across the country involving annual payments of over Rs 20,000 crore every year by its 400 field offices. The new digital payment mode covers over six lakh transactions. The Office of Chief Controller of Accounts (CCA) of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (HUA)  has evolved this special Public Financial Management (PFMS) Portal for CPWD, according to a PIB release.
During a demonstration of this online payment system to Duga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (HUA), Shyam Dubey, CCA, explained that it enables real time monitoring of expenditure in respect of each of the 25,000 projects across the country. Since fund release is linked to progress of works, digital payments also ensures efficient utilization of funds, he said, according to the PIB release.
In yet another initiative, electronic Measurement Book (e-MB) has also been developed for CPWD that enables reporting of progress of works online as per the schedule of agreement with contractors based on which payments will be made. e-MB has been made mandatory from the first of next month doing away with manual reporting by all the 400 field offices, said the release.