Shimla | January 29, 2026
Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta on Thursday chaired a workshop on Capacity Building and Technology Intervention in the Jal Shakti Department, underlining the State Government’s priority of ensuring clean and safe drinking water to every household while strengthening digital governance in the department.
Addressing officers, the Chief Secretary directed the Jal Shakti Department to expedite compliance with mandatory conditions under the Jal Jeevan Mission, as laid down by the Government of India, to ensure timely achievement of targets. He said uninterrupted access to potable drinking water remains a core public service commitment of the present government.
Shri Gupta assured that funding-related bottlenecks, if any, under the Jal Jeevan Mission would be taken up with the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, to ensure smooth implementation of projects across the state.
Emphasising the role of technology in governance, the Chief Secretary called for a shift towards paperless working, greater adoption of e-Office systems, and wider use of digital tools to improve transparency, efficiency and service delivery. He said modern technology must be integrated into departmental workflows for faster execution of government policies.
He also stressed the importance of effective grievance redressal, directing officers to ensure swift disposal of public complaints received through platforms such as the Chief Minister’s Helpline.
Secretary, Jal Shakti Department, Dr. Abhishek Jain, said the department was actively strengthening its IT infrastructure and e-Office implementation across the state. He informed that coordination with the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance was being enhanced for skill development, and regular training workshops were being organised to upgrade digital competencies of the workforce.
Dr. Jain also said that steps were underway to fill vacant posts to further reinforce the department’s operational capacity.
During the workshop, issues related to pending contractor payments were reviewed, while technical sessions focusing on digital tools and e-Office systems were conducted. Presentations were also made by zonal officers highlighting progress and challenges.
Engineer-in-Chief Anju Sharma, Engineer-in-Chief (Projects) Dr. Dharmender, and other senior officers of the Jal Shakti Department attended the workshop.
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