The Centre will provide a 100 per cent financial grant to digitise the West Bengal Legislative Assembly under the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on the sidelines of the inaugural session of a two-day orientation programme for West Bengal MLAs in New Town on Friday.
According to Rijiju, the Centre has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal Assembly for the project.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, we have provided the necessary funding to fully digitise the West Bengal Assembly under the One Nation, One Application initiative. We are providing a 100 per cent financial grant through my ministry for this purpose,” he said.
“The West Bengal Assembly is set to become fully digital and technologically advanced. We have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding to this effect,” the Union Minister added.
Rijiju said the NeVA platform would enable legislators to access Assembly business and official documents digitally, making legislative work more efficient.
“As a result, MLAs will no longer have to struggle to locate information. Members will be able to access all relevant information with a single click,” he said.
Highlighting the significance of the orientation programme, Rijiju said it had been organised because a large number of first-time legislators had entered the Assembly following the recent elections.
“A major programme has been organised here. Since a large number of newly elected MLAs have joined the West Bengal Assembly, an orientation programme is essential for them,” he said.
The Union Minister also praised the institution’s history, saying, “I hold the West Bengal Assembly in high regard because of its long and historic legacy.”
Emphasising the importance of informed legislative debate, Rijiju said, “We aspire to have high-quality debates and discussions in this House, leading to the enactment of sound legislation. We want the future of West Bengal to be shaped here through deliberations that genuinely benefit the people.”
Referring to his participation in the event, Rijiju said, “I had promised the West Bengal Chief Minister and the Speaker that I would certainly attend this programme. This initiative will be immensely beneficial, especially for the newly elected MLAs.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, along with other dignitaries, inaugurated the two-day orientation programme, organised jointly by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) under the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.