Parmar to take up e-Vidhan Sabha academy issue with LS Speaker

Ravinder Sood

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Palampur, October 26

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar yesterday said that he would take up the issue of setting up a National e-Vidhan Academy at Tapovan, near Dharamsala, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The latter is scheduled to visit the town on November 15 to inaugurate the All-India Conference of Speakers, Deputy Speakers and Secretaries of the state assemblies.

Parmar said that it was essential to implement the e-Vidhan project conceptualised in 2014. The proposed academy would train MPs, MLAs, and the staff of such institutions from various states. The HP Assembly was the first high-tech paperless legislative Assembly where the e-Vidhan system was launched six years ago, he stated.

He had also taken up the matter with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, apprising him that the building of the state assembly at Dharamsala was used only once a year and could be put to use by setting up the national e-Vidhan academy. However, because of Covid-19, no much progress was made and the matter remained pending for approval of the Government of India, the Speaker said.

Parmar said a team of experts had already visited Shimla to study the functioning of the e-Vidhan project and its relevance to Parliament and other legislative bodies. The team, in its report, had suggested that the e-Vidhan application of the HP Legislative Assembly might be customised and localised for all other legislatures under e-Sansad and e-Vidhan. It also recommended establishing an academy at Tapovan under the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Although the HP Vidhan Sabha had given its consent, the signing of an MoU between the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Himachal Vidhan Sabha was a must for the project, Parmar added.

Caption 1:- The Vidhan Sabha building at Dharamsala