OCTOBER 13, 2015

By Arjun Banerjee

RECENTLY, I was in the US state of California for research work. I was taking a printout at the library of a relatively small but well-known institute. I was pleasantly surprised and, at the same time, a tad worried to see that my account established there for the use of the institute's computer terminals was linked to the printers. Now why would that be a source of despair or joy? The fact of the matter was that there was an in-built software known as ‘Paper Cut', embedded in the terminals, which kept track of the number of printouts each person (from their respective login IDs allotted) was taking. It had a limited single-digit balance per account, and each vanilla printout cost 15 Cents. If the balance were to be depleted, one would have to pay to refill their balance. In such a simple fashion, utmost caution and minimized paper wastage was ensured at this institute, because just about anybody turns extra-cautious when their own money is on the line! If it is public property, it is usually treated like junk. Not only that, but there were enough ancillaries on the printout screen to rouse the guilty conscience in the most hardened ‘criminal' paper-wasters and make them squirm in their seats. The screen immediately updated what percent of how many trees had to be cut to supply the requested amount of paper for the printouts, the amount of energy that was being consumed to print it, and more such horrifying doomsday scenario details!

More than a decade into the 21 st Century, one would think that we would be closer to the "paperless society" information scientist Frederick Wilfrid Lancaster envisioned in 1978. Yet, the goal still seems to remain rather utopian, barring anecdotal references, especially in countries with inadequate accountability systems in place, stemming presumably largely from an utter lack of will to bring about a change in certain existing Stone Age methods of functioning.

Reduction in profligate use of paper has far-reaching repercussions. It saves precious office space, especially essential when infrastructure-creation is high up on any department's priority list; it eliminates the need for a filing staff and effort wasted on retrieving files from the file room or closed storage; digitalization leads to easier compartmentalization of data, without having to worry about the physical presence of tyre-thick files; and, what is of course a cliche by now (but still not necessarily paid adequate attention to), it saves the mindless hacking down of trees, which can only lead to upsetting nature's balance. Therefore, the fact that going paperless or nearly paperless is a goal worth adopting is a fait accompli. It should not be a question of if one should go paperless, but of when.

Having said that, it would be apt to point out at this juncture that it may be commendable to have such an ambitious target, but it must be grounded in reality as well. Completely eliminating paper may not be practical for every department or organization. Often regulatory or legal requirements may force certain sectors to hold on to the use of paper, examples, inter alia, being the law and auditing fields in India.

Despite that, in many of our Indian offices, the need of the hour is streamlining and changing of mentality. Systematic planning by identifying key areas where we can reduce paper wastage is of the essence. So is the need for a shift from a document mentality to a data mentality. This means that all of an organization's data should be stored in an electronic database tailored to its needs. Databases and spreadsheets can be used after keeping adequate backups for the information, instead of charts and books. Mailing lists and other vital information can all be efficiently stored in the cloud or a digital database. At the same time, there should be greater accessibility to that same unclassified information to different people in the organization to achieve greater transparency.

Going back to the learning from California, it would stand the office in good stead to be able to track the number of pages printed per person, generate a monthly report and email a copy to every employee, so that each person is aware of where he or she stands in comparison to the rest. This, of course, would work best, if an in-built software automatically keeps track of the number of pages printed. The number of printers available per capita may be reduced to the bare minimum and placed at a central location, so that employees are less likely to print frivolously at their desks. This can improve a department's cost-effectiveness. Further, buying printers that support duplex (both-sides) printing can be a good investment, as it can save paper usage by half. Also, not making unnecessary copies of documents is helpful. One can start by making a single copy where use of paper is absolutely essential. Only after approval from the competent senior authority to proceed with the issuance of a document is obtained, should subsequent copies of the same be made addressed to whoever they may concern, so as to minimize wastage.

Part of going paperless is getting organized, and old documents may well be archived systematically using scanners, which can be integrated with newer records. The sensitive documents among them can be encrypted and password protected with open source software such as True Crypt, etc. Emails and scans (for those documents, which require to be physically signed) can replace the more traditional faxing system. Personal scanners on each person's table can go a long way in reducing paper usage. It is imperative for offices to have an adequate number of personal scanners. Not only conventional scanning, but there are other ways to scan as well, such as the Turbo Scan app, which swiftly converts images captured by phone cameras to PDFs for easy emailing. Documents can be e-signed without taking any printouts. The Hello Sign app makes it possible to create realistic signatures from the desktop or smart phone. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software turns static images or PDF files created by scanners into editable files that are far more useful.

Offices should also target online payment of bills to reduce paper usage. This will also lead to less spend on postage, envelopes and employee time coordinating invoices, checks and other mailings. Running office finances through the web makes payments prompt and easier to track.

It ultimately boils down, in my opinion, to the culture prevalent in an office. Until the day arrives that people collectively frown on the unfettered, unchecked use or abuse of paper by an individual, what seems utopian today shall remain as utopian even tomorrow. The whole attitude should be to create a dynamic environment at the highest echelons of a department, where the top leaders can inculcate these values at all levels in every organization by holding large meetings for mid-level officers who, in turn, can reach out to junior officers. Where necessary, the emulation of the style of functioning of those nations better placed with respect to conserving paper or any natural resource for that matter, with suitable adaptations for our own country, requires active encouragement.

(The author is Assistant Commissioner, IRS (Customs & Central Excise) and the views expressed are strictly personal.)