Delhi MLAs, including oppn members, get iPhone 16 pro for official use: Report

Apart from iPhones, all the MLAs, including chief minister Rekha Gupta, were also given iPads and tablets.

All 70 Delhi Legislative Assembly members have received a brand-new iPhone 16 Pro for official use this week, in a major upgrade aimed towards the government's paperless initiative.

All Delhi legislators reportedly underwent training last month to familiarise themselves with the digital interface. (PTI)

The sleek smartphones were handed out on Monday as part of the Delhi Assembly's rollout of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), a tech-driven initiative under the Centre's "One Nation, One Application" program, The Indian Express said.

Apart from iPhones, all the MLAs, including chief minister Rekha Gupta, were also given iPads and tablets.

The distribution of the premium devices made headlines during the first day of the Monsoon Session, where all legislators attended the proceedings with their new mobile handsets and tablets, an official from the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat said.

The legislators also underwent training last month to familiarize themselves with the digital interface, which includes smart delegate units with microphones and voting panels, RFID/NFC (Radio Frequency Identification, Near Field Communication) access, multilingual support, real-time document access via iPads, an automated AV system with HD cameras, and a secure, power-backed networking environment.

However, the move to provide lawmakers top-tier phones sparked political chatter.

Last month, the Delhi government revised the mobile phone purchase ceiling for the Chief Minister and ministers to ₹1.5 lakh and ₹1.25 lakh respectively, up from ₹50,000.

This revised reimbursement order, issued on July 9, sparked a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party over the high-end phone purchases.

First solar-powered assembly

In another milestone, the Delhi Legislative Assembly became India's first assembly to run entirely on solar power, following the launch of a 500-kilowatt rooftop plant on Sunday.

Speaking at the inauguration of a state-of-the-art 500-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant and National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in the Delhi Assembly, Meghwal said, "I am told that the three new criminal laws have been fully implemented in Delhi.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the commissioning of the 500 KW solar power plant as a turning point in institutional accountability toward environmental protection.