Circular No.728 /44/2003-CX
30^th July, 2003

F.No. 213 /6/2003-CX-6
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Excise & Customs  

Subject: - Use of  Electronic Departmental Communication System (E-DECS)- reg.

                        I am directed to say that Board has been emphasizing the need for a quick, easy to use and reliable communication system to communicate Board’s instructions to the field formations and quick and efficient collection of structured information from field formations. After the reorganization of field formations done in November 2002 increasing the number of Chief Commissioners and Commissioners, the need has been felt very strongly. 

2.         Board has taken note that though the system of E-mails was being used to some extent, some formations were not in the habit of seeing E-mails regularly and there was no way to know who was seeing such mails and who was not.        Now the Directorate of Systems and Data Management has developed a new Electronic Departmental Communication System (E-DECS), which has certain special features like,- 

(a)   facility for the sender of a message to see which addressee has read the message and which has not;

(b)   facility of automatic tabulation of  replies from all the addressees; and

(c)   permanent record of all communications exchanged to achieve non-repudiation. 

3.         DG (Systems and Data Management) has intimated that this communication system has been put in use since 31/3/2003. But the Zonal Officers and Commissionerates are not seeing the mails sent through this system on daily basis. Board has taken a serious view of the matter. Board feels that the immediate need is to reach a stage where all the Director Generals, Chief Commissioners and Commissioners see mails sent through this system as a matter of routine. The system provides facility enabling the supervisory officers to find out which of the offices is not logging into the system on a daily basis. 

4.         In future Board shall be making use of this system extensively as an MIS tool and for collecting information needed for various purposes including Parliamentary Questions. Therefore, Board desires that every office assigned ID in this System should ensure that the mails in the System are seen daily and is being used for communication with other formations and sections in Board.  The Directorate of Systems, South Zone office has already communicated user ID, password and a guide to use the site to each formation through E-mails and through printed mails in some cases. Any formation not yet having these may sent E-mail to adgsouth@excise.nic.in. For any other querry, Additional Director General of Systems (South Zone) may be contacted. Needless to mention that the usage part of this system shall be watched actively by Board. 

5.         Field formations under your charge may  be informed suitably. 

6.         Receipt of the same may be acknowledged. 

7.         Hindi version will follow.

Vijay Mohan Jain
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India