Delhi Assembly set to hold first paperless session from August 4

Delhi's Assembly will hold its first fully paperless session from August 4-8, introducing the e-Vidhan system to enhance transparency and efficiency.

The upcoming session of the Delhi Assembly from August 4 to August 8 will be the first fully paperless e-Assembly session in the Capital’s history, chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday at the Delhi Secretariat after holding a a meeting of the legislative party.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta with cabinet ministers at the Delhi Secretariat in New Delhi on Saturday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The assembly is set to inaugurate its e-Vidhan (paperless assembly) system along with a 500kW solar power plant at the complex on Sunday.

The inauguration will be done by Union minister for law and justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. A special trial run of the e-Vidhan platform, part of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) programme, will also be held during the event. The trial will allow MLAs to experience the new digital interface firsthand ahead of the upcoming session.

“Today, in the meeting of the legislative party held at the Delhi Secretariat, a detailed discussion was held with all MLAs to realise the resolution of ‘Developed Delhi’. This meeting, held before the upcoming assembly session, was an important opportunity to brainstorm on our collective strategy, priorities, and issues of public interest. This session will add a new chapter to the history of the assembly, as it will be the first fully paperless e-Assembly session. This change reflects our government’s commitment to technology-based transparency and efficiency. In this session, an important bill related to education will also be tabled for discussion, which will be a decisive step towards making Delhi’s education system more robust and inclusive,” Gupta said in a post on X.

Gupta said the Delhi government is undertaking major initiatives to make its governance system more accessible, efficient and transparent. The drive to digitise all government offices has significantly accelerated the pace of administrative work. Gupta said that she has transformed her own office into an e-Office to set a benchmark for other departments to follow.

“We are working in alignment with the vision of the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This system ensures accountability and provides real-time updates on how long files are pending with any officer or department,” Gupta said.

She said that the e-Office platform, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), showed remarkable results in July. Out of the Delhi government’s 199 departments, 119 are now fully operational on e-Office, up from 22% in June to nearly 60% now. During the same period, the number of digital files used by these departments exceeded 118,000, marking a growth of over 250% compared to the previous month (June).

“The e-Office system has not only significantly reduced paper consumption but has also made decision-making faster and more transparent. Government officials and staff in Delhi are now benefitting from digital file tracking, quicker approvals, and immediate implementation of decisions,” she said.