Bengal Assembly set for digital, paperless functioning: Speaker
Kolkata, June 11
The West Bengal Assembly will henceforth adopt paperless functioning, Speaker Rathindra Bose told media persons on Thursday. At the same time, he said that a special training session will be organised for first-time legislators to help them get acclimatised to the functioning of Assembly proceedings.
According to the Speaker, with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) having been signed earlier this month for the launch of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) scheme in West Bengal, the functioning of the West Bengal Assembly will henceforth be completely digital and paperless.
"If the Assembly functioning becomes paperless, all the information will be available to everyone directly. Everyone will benefit from this. This initiative aims at greater transparency," the Speaker said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking on the training session for first-time legislators, the Speaker said that in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly, around 200 current legislators are first-time members.
"So, it has been decided that a special training session will be arranged for them so that they can get acclimatised to the Assembly proceedings. The training session will be organised at the end of the Budget Session of the House starting from June 18. The Lok Sabha Speaker, as well as the Speakers of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, will come to give the training," he said.
To recall, after the MoU was signed earlier this month for the launch of the NeVA service in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari said that the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the state had refused to get connected with the rest of the country through this system.
"Till now, voting is done on paper in the West Bengal Assembly. The electronic system is not yet working here. Even despite being such a large Assembly, there is no live-streaming facility here. The previous government did not take any step in this matter. But henceforth, there will be live streaming of important sessions of the House, including the Budget Session," he said on that occasion.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The training for first-time MLAs is a smart initiative. With 200 out of 294 being new, they need proper orientation. Hope they also teach them how to use tablets and e-voting systems properly else it'll be chaos in the House. 😅
A small but significant step. When even panchayats in some states are going digital, West Bengal Assembly doing this is long overdue. But will the live streaming actually happen? Previous govt promised it but nothing came of it. Let's see if this time it's different. 🤞
Honestly, this is basic stuff in 2024. But better late than never. The fact that UP and Rajasthan Speakers are being called for training shows West Bengal is learning from other states. My only concern is the cost of tablets for 294 MLAs - hope it's not just another expense for the exchequer.
Thoda late hai but appreciated. The Opposition's point about previous govt refusing digital connection is valid - why was there resistance? Anyway, now that it's happening, hope all parties cooperate. Digital transparency benefits everyone. 🙏
Good initiative but will the older MLAs adapt? Some of them are not tech-savvy at all. At least the training will help. Also, paperless doesn't automatically mean transparent - we need proper implementation and public access to records. Let's hope NeVA delivers on its promises.
K