NEW DELHI, SEPT 12: The new millennium is fast approaching but the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), a vital data storehouse on the economy, is still pushing files to raise funds for making its systems bug proof.``We had made it known to the National Y2K Action Force that our department does not have budgetary provision for buying new software and hardware. We were assured that the action force would arrange funds for us but we are yet to hear from them,'' senior officials in CSO said.Although a full-fledged committee has been set up on Y2K compliance in the department of statistics, it has to depend on the Y2K action force for meeting funding requirements. The committee has since long given its assessment to the action force but the proposal is still pending with the latter. CSO in the department of statistics and programme implementation collates vital economic data including the index for industrial production which goes into framing important policy decisions of the government.Many of theorganisation's computer systems are junk by today's standards and need to be totally replaced. ``Making the obsolete system Y2K compliant would cost us more money than replacing it,'' officials said. Both the desktops and mainframes need to be upgraded for Y2K compliance. Officials admitted that some of the mainframe computers are based on COBOL language which will have to be replaced or upgraded for working in the new millennium. ``We have completed many technical deliberations and identified the equipment to be replaced,'' they said adding it would now depend on how soon the Y2K action force would release the funds. The action force has identified 11 critical sectors for making them Y2K compliant by October 31.The department of statistics does not figure in these sectors which include civil aviation, railways, power, ports, telecom, defence, atomic energy, space, banking and finance, insurance and petroleum.According to one estimate, government organisations would need to spend about Rs 700 crore inupgradation of systems so they do not crash at 0000 hours on January 1, 2000. The action force has been holding sector specific meetings to check for Y2K compliance and framing of contingency plans.
