Project in brief

Finding that an Employee Management Information System is quite essential to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of human resource management in Government, in G.O (MS) No.345/03/GAD dated 26/11/2003, Government of Kerala accorded sanction for implementing an Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management System for all Government Departments as part of Modernizing Government Programme (MGP). As per G.O (MS) No.192/04/GAD dated 29/07/2004, Government approved National Informatics Center’s (NIC) proposal for implementing the project with the name Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK).

The pilot project was successfully implemented in Finance Department, Government Secretariat during 2004-05 period. After reviewing the pilot phase, based on the decision of the Steering cum Empowered Committee for MGP, in G.O (MS) No.392/05/GAD dated 05/11/2005 sanction was accorded for implementing SPARK in all the departments.The ownership and co-ownership of the project were initially entrusted with IT and Finance Departments respectively. Subsequently vide G.O (MS) No.154/2016/Fin dated 04/04/2016, the ownership of the project was entrusted with Finance Department, Government of Kerala. The SPARK Project Management Unit (PMU) was also taken over by Finance Department.

Now the project provides its services to 5,42,220 regular and 1,60,279 temporary employees from 33199 offices under 119 departments. With respect to payroll and other benefits, an average of 21,06,213 bills are being processed yearly through the SPARK system.

Consultative process and planning are in progress to take SPARK to its next generation level of service delivery. In this phase entire HR activities in Government will be automated and analytical tools will be provided to Heads of Departments and other important functionaries for decision making.