iLokSabha

Parliament may be in a state of paralysis these days but it has not deterred the authorities from taking a digital leap of faith. Aiming to make its office paperless and the members tech-savvy, the Lok Sabha secretariat has sanctioned Rs 50,000 for each member to buy an iPad. “We are encouraging MPs to use iPads. This would save a lot of paper,” Lok Sabha secretary general T K Vishwanathan said. Officials said the MPs can buy either Apple iPads or Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tabs. Following a decision to this effect by the Lok Sabha committee on paperless office, the lower house secretariat has also held a familiarization drive for the MPs. According to officials, they send daily notices, emails, questions and answers and details of House proceedings to the MPs in printed format.The paper used for such communication can be saved if the MPs start checking out this information in a digital format using iPads, they said. “It is easier to retrieve and rearrange information in a digital format,” said Vishwanathan. As part of the digital drive, the Lok Sabha secretariat has already reduced printing of many reports tabled in the House and has instead started uploading them on the official website.