Anil Deshmukh meets Mumbai Commissioner over digitisation contract awarded to his family

The Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, on Friday, alleged that the former Maharashtra government had given the contract of digitising the police records to Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve's family. Reportedly, Sanjay Barve's family owns a firm that works in the field of Information Technology. As per media reports, it was Barve’s wife and son who were awarded this contract for their firm CrispQ Information Technologies Pvt Ltd. 

Anil Deshmukh on Barve’s family getting digitisation contract 

Speaking about the incident, Deshmukh said, “Sanjay Barve had started that project after the permission of the then state government. I have also seen an October 7 letter also related to this.” 

Read: Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh proud of Mumbai Police over Ejaz Lakdawala's arrest 

Deshmukh meets Barve 

Deshmukh said that he called Barve to meet him on Thursday. The letter mentioned by the Home Minister states that the Maharashtra government had approved the digitisation of police record project on a pro bono basis. This contract has been signed for a period of five years.  

Read: It's state's call to implement laws: Maha HM Anil Deshmukh at CAA rally 

Barve on Deshmukh’s allegations 

Barve had said that the firm, CrispQ Information Technologies Pvt Ltd, offered its services "free of cost and there was no question of any financial gains to it". "The company had offered its service pro bono and it was for the benefit of the Mumbai Police," he said. Barve retires from service on February 29.  

Read: Cabinet to discuss Mumbai's '24/7 policy' on January 22: Home Minister Anil Deshmukh 

Punjab govt creates a state-level IT Cadre for digital push  

The Punjab government on Thursday, February 13, decided to create a state-level IT Cadre and invited applications for 354 posts of IT officers, in a move to effectively execute various projects under Digital India and national e-governance programs. The Additional Chief Secretary of Governance Reforms Department Vini Mahajan said that the initiative is being undertaken to make Punjab a digitally empowered, knowledge-economy. The cadre is expected to help various departments in the integration of services on digital platforms like mSewa, Digilocker, Sewa Kendras, and GeM/e-Procurement. 

(With Agency Inputs) 

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