Maharashtra Government Goes Digital: Mandatory Online Bill Payments

The Maharashtra finance department announced a new mandate requiring government offices to make all payments for services such as telephone, electricity, water, and property taxes exclusively through online channels starting June 16.

In a bid to streamline administrative processes, the district treasury offices will cease to accept physical payments for bills, a move aimed at reducing the substantial time and resources spent on the manual processing of bills submitted traditionally.

The initiative, developed by Pune-based National Informatics Centre, has already undergone successful trials in Pune, Nashik, and Nagpur. Officers are required to upload payment receipts and utilize an e-signature service developed by C-DAC, allowing higher officials to periodically review expenses.

(With inputs from agencies.)