Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Delhi Assembly Goes Paperless, iPads Given to MLAs

A provision of ₹20 crore has been made to accomplish the objective
March 30, 2022
delhi assembly

The Delhi Legislative Assembly is now going to be completely paperless. All documents kept in the house will now be laid on the table only in the form of a pdf. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia gave information about this on Twitter.

Sisodia said, “Delhi Legislative Assembly will be completely paperless now. All documents and bills will be tabled in e-paper format. Lakhs of pages used during the proceedings of the Assembly will now be presented as soft copies.”

A provision of ₹20 crore has been made to accomplish the objective. Under the automation project, the assembly has been equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity that will enable the legislators to attend the proceedings uninterrupted. “This step of the Kejriwal government will prove a milestone… Provisions will be made for members to attend sessions virtually in the future,” Sisodia said.

A proposal has been sent by the Delhi Assembly Secretariat regarding this automation project. According to the Times of India, not only paperless work will be promoted, but also online tracking of questions will be possible. In addition, there will be a search engine so that MLAs can look for the information regarding the reports. Virtual Legislative Assembly Software can be used in emergency situations. The attendance of MLAs can also be checked through this.

This time, the Delhi government also kept the budget completely digital. For this, iPads were given to all MLAs.

The project includes the creation of a facility for the legislators to virtually participate in the proceedings of the House. It aims to transform assembly operations from manual to web-based digital solutions for speed and efficiency while being paperless.

Delhi is not the first State/Union Territory in India to go paperless. Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand took the eco-friendly route in 2014 and 2019, respectively. With the Kejriwal government following suit, it could inspire other states to take the path.