Ahmedabad, Aug 23(PTI) To ensure transparency, the Gujarat government on Wednesday launched a new software that will make online payment compulsory for Panchayati Raj institutions in the state, ending the practice of cheque payment to contractors and vendors, said an official release.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the Panchayati Raj Accounting Information System Automation, or PRAISA, at a state-level programme of ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ in Gandhinagar.
PRAISA will make the administration of the state Panchayats Department paperless and more effective as financial and accounting transactions of all the 33 districts and 248 taluka panchayats will be handled through this online platform, said the release.
From now onwards, financial transactions worth Rs 34,000 crore of these Panchayati Raj institutions, local self-governed bodies, will be handled in a transparent manner through PRAISA.
Various processes, including issuance of work orders, payment to vendors or contractors and maintenance of accounts, will be handled using this online platform, said the release, adding that cheques will not be issued to contractors by the Panchayati Raj institutions from now on as payments will be made online using PRAISA software.
This online application’s dashboard also allows real-time monitoring of any panchayat’s transactions at taluka, district and state level, said the release.
For greater transparency, PRAISA makes QR codes and schedules compulsory for making payments through this platform. Moreover, registered contractors will get an SMS on their mobile phones when the software initiates a payment process, said the release.
It added that PRAISA can also be linked with the Gujarat CM Dashboard as well as dashboards of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) and Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for the purpose of remote monitoring. PTI PJT PD NR
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