Nearly 9000 files in the office of an Information Commissioner have been digitised as part of the Central Information Commission's plan to convert 23 lakh pages of old records in digital format.

The files of Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi's office have already been digitised while the process is on for the rest of the offices of seven Commissioners, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and other officers. Gandhi's office is the first one in the CIC to become completely paperless.

In the first phase, 12 lakh pages are given for scanning and conversion in digital form. Six lakh pages have already been converted and for the rest the process is going on.

"The digitised files are easy to go through and have increased the efficiency. Moreover, all the files are digital so its easy to locate them," says Gandhi.

Now all the posts carrying appeals, complaints and other communication from across the country are first scanned and given the file numbers according to case files.

These files are then brought to the office of Gandhi in a pen drive and tagged with the files.

Gandhi said on an average day his staff handles about 75 files which include cases for hearing, complaints and appeals received in his office.

"If it took five minutes to trace a file then about six hours were wasted to just bring a file which means about one man-work day," he said.

The CIC is also contemplating to start completely web- based work flow system which will do away with the need to send appeals, complaints in paper form.

At present, an appellant can send these documents in digital form through the website but he also needs to send them in a paper form as well.