The Maharashtra government has mandated that the opening page of websites of its departments and ministries must be in Marathi along with a uniform format and naming protocol, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.
The move is part of the government`s renewed performance targets for the next 150 days, he added.
“As we are in the era of cyber frauds and misleading websites, the government has taken this stand. All ministries and departments must develop their websites in a specific format, which includes carrying the `.gov.in` domain in their official name. The opening page will always be in Marathi, as it is the official state language,” the official told PTI.
There will be an option to read the same content in English, he said, adding directive is part of a broader effort by the state government to ensure consistency and accountability across departments, reported PTI.
Under the new guidelines, all government websites will feature a uniform user interface with the names of the chief minister, deputy chief ministers and governor, along with prominent links for citizen services, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and department-specific initiatives and services such as `Aaple Sarkar`, he added, reported PTI.
Another senior official said the decision stemmed from the experience of the government`s first 100-day performance plan.
“Each department had set its own targets, which led to inconsistencies and made it difficult to compare their achievements fairly. For instance, while one department aimed at reforming old laws, another focused only on streamlining operations. This created an imbalance in assessment,” the official said, reported PTI.
The Chief Minister`s Office (CMO) has now insisted on uniform parameters for all departments, so that performance can be objectively compared, he said, reported PTI.
“Once standardisation is achieved, the state plans to recognise and reward top-performing ministries. The Quality Council of India has been tasked with appointing third-party agencies to assess departmental performance. The three best-performing departments will be felicitated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at an event in Mumbai on October 2,” he informed.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to strengthen scientific investigation into crimes and speed up detection, the Maharashtra government has expanded its fleet of mobile forensic laboratories from 21 to 59 across the state, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the country`s first set of 21 mobile forensic vans on January 27, making Maharashtra the pioneer state in the field.
With the expansion, mobile forensic units are now deployed in key urban centres and at divisional and district police offices.
In Mumbai, vans have been stationed at Chembur (East region), Bandra (West), Kandivali (North), Byculla (Central), and Nagpada (South), and one at the Railway Commissionerate, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
