Assisted by the mandatory, daily, two-hour training sessions at Mantralaya, the staff have been gleefully learning computer games while clicking past the serious business of government work. Following a complaint that accuses the Revenue Department staff of being so preoccupied with the Queen of Hearts on their computer screens that they ignored repeated requests for certain land records, State Chief Secretary, Arun Bongirwar, has ordered an inquiry into how the computers at Mantralaya are being used. He has also asked for a detailed report on improvising the functioning of government employees.

In his complaint to Bongirwar, 65-year-old A B Deshpande (namechanged) says he had recently visited the Revenue Department for information and documents on land dealings. Seeing an official busy at his computer, Deshpande decided he was the right person to approach. Instead, he was rudely dismissed and directed to another official.

The latter, who was furiously clicking away at his mouse, was equally rude and paid little attention to Deshpande's request. Several others did the same. Convinced that the staff were too busy to entertain his request, a forlorn Deshpande decided to return another day. A backward glance at one of the computer screens, however, left Deshpande stunned: most of the officials were lost in a game of Solitaire.

Last year, the state government announced a Rs 100-crore plan to make its staff computer-savvy. After announcing 1999-2000 as Information Technology year, it decided to install computers in all 27 departments. It has also been conducting six-month courses for its staff, who have been told that promotions will henceforth be linked to aspecified level of computer literacy. The government, whose efforts include providing ministers and bureaucrats with a lap-top, claims 30 per cent of its staff is computer-literate. Only, the special task force set up to oversee the mega-project, failed to account for the infinite Windows of opportunity on offer. The more mechanical-minded, keen on learning touch-typing, have been using the expensive machines as typewriters. Many haven't been using their computers at all. Dusty, new plastic hoods on the computers bear testimony to that.As for the knaves among the techno-savvy, computer literacy has stopped with the Queen of Hearts.