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In a letter to the secretaries of the various ministries under the United progressive Alliance government, Union Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar has urged them to ensure that the websites of their respective ministries are updated, accessible and reader-friendly in terms of usability and design.
The two-page letter by Chandrasekhar exhorts the secretaries to "take vigorous action to revise and enhance your department's websites". He points out that several sections of the society as well as the media has often complained about the poor design and quality of several government websites.
"In today's world, increased proliferation of internet and widespread usage of the latest web technologies has raised the expectations of the citizens from government web sites. Today websites are considered the virtual face of the department in cyber space, not merely an electronic brochure," he states.
Chandrashekhar has advised each ministry to nominate an officer at the level of additional secretary or joint secretary as the web information leader, who will 'ensure up-to-date and high quality content on the websites'.
The Cabinet Secretary has also requested the secretaries to monitor the action taken and the content of the websites of their respective ministries. Chandrashekhar has also asked the Department of Information Technology to conduct an independent assessment of each website and provide a feedback to the concerned ministry.
The Cabinet Secretary has also asked the secretaries to keep him updated on the initiatives taken to improve their websites.
Read the letter by Union Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar