Delhi's AAP Government's failure to implement the National E-Vidhan Application (NeVA) aimed at digitalising the Legislative Assembly has come under scrutiny, as it remains the only Assembly in the country yet to initiate the digitisation process, even after four-and-a-half years since the project's inception.
NeVA, launched in 2015 by the Central Government, aims to make Legislative Assemblies across India paperless and digitally efficient. The initiative has been adopted by all 37 Legislative Assemblies and Councils in the country, except for Delhi.
In 2019, the Central Government proposed to fully fund the NeVA project for Delhi, providing both financial and technical assistance. However, the AAP Government in Delhi decided to develop the application independently, allocating a budget of Rs 20 crore for the purpose. Despite this intention, the project has made no progress, leading to growing concerns over the delay and lack of action. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs' Secretary addressed the issue, writing to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Secretariat, seeking intervention to expedite the implementation of the NeVA project in Delhi.
The LG Secretariat subsequently forwarded the request to the Principal Secretary (Law, Justice & Legislative Affairs) of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) for necessary action.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had also written to the Delhi Chief Secretary, urging the government to adopt Project NeVA, highlighting the 100% funding available for the Union Territory of Delhi for its implementation.
The letter emphasized that the project's digitalization of Vidhan Sabha and other associated services would lead to significant cost savings for the government of Delhi and enhanced convenience for legislators and the general public. In January 2019, the Delhi Assembly had decided to “opt-out†of the NeVA project, expressing its intention to develop the eViddhan project independently using its allocated budget.
Despite acknowledging the urgency to digitize and adopt electronic means of communication, the Delhi Assembly and the Delhi Government have yet to take any concrete steps towards initiating the project since 2019.
The delay in implementing the NeVA project has raised concerns about the efficiency of the AAP Government in utilizing available resources to ensure the digitalization and modernization of the Legislative Assembly.
