e-Vidhan System for Paperless Legislation – Significance and the challenges

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Context: A delegation of MLAs from Gujarat visited the UP Legislative Assembly to learn about the novel e-Vidhan system for paperless proceedings that has been recently adopted by the UP-state assembly.

This topic of “e-Vidhan System for Paperless Legislation – Significance and the challenges” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination, which falls under General Studies Portion.

What is the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) system?

The NeVA system has been developed to make all the work and data related to legislative bodies available online for the use of both citizens and the members of Assemblies.
It includes a website and a mobile app.

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Why is NeVA being introduced?

This has been done for streamlining information related to various state assemblies, and to eliminate the use of paper in day-to-day functioning.

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Significance of NeVA

The shift towards digitization:

There has been a shift towards digitization in recent years by the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the idea of a “One Nation One Legislative Platform” in November 2021.
According to him, it is a digital platform, a portal that not only gives the necessary technological boost to our parliamentary system but also works to connect all the democratic units of the country.

Has this been done elsewhere?

Though both Houses of Parliament have not gone fully digital yet, governments world over are heading towards embracing the digital mode.
In December 2021, the Government of Dubai became the world’s first government to go 100 per cent paperless.
The US government announced in 2019 that by the end of 2022, all government agencies would stop dealing with paper.

What are the challenges?

Access, particularly for legislators representing rural constituencies, to devices and reliable internet and electricity is an issue.
Lack of training and heightened concerns over security are some more recent issues on the road to digitization.

Practice Question for Mains

Discuss the e-Vidhan system for paperless legislation. (10 Marks, 150 Words).

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