<p>Bengaluru: Bundles of compact discs lie stacked in a small room in the Notice Branch of the Assembly Secretariat at Vidhana Soudha, ready to be sent to the Legislators’ Home ahead of the Budget session. The bundles, each containing 40 CDs, carry annual reports of boards and corporations, along with audit documents — a reminder that Karnataka’s legislature is yet to turn completely digital.</p>.<p>Though various government departments have begun shifting to pen drives and embedding hyperlinks on the official website, the transition remains partial. Ironically, Karnataka, which boasts of leading the country’s IT ecosystem, is among the few states still struggling to go fully digital when it comes to legislative business, though the Secretariat has made incremental progress.</p>.<p>At present, an online library provides access to legislative material, including Parliament resources. Questions and answers, Bills and debates are available online.</p>.<p>AI-based attendance for members and an online file movement system are operational. Yet, the dream of a paperless House remains distant.</p>.Karnataka Speaker mulls to link MLA grants with performance to boost attendance.<p>The Union government’s National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), launched under the 'One Nation, One Application' framework in 2014, sought to digitise State legislatures with 60% Central assistance. Karnataka briefly explored NeVA in 2018 but later opted to develop its own software, citing "serious gaps", particularly for a bicameral legislature.</p>.<p>Officials argue that workflows in Karnataka — movement of Bills between Assembly and Council, file transfers from departments, and the functioning of Question and Notice branches — are more complex than in unicameral states. While at least 19 states have adopted NeVA, and Parliament has implemented its own Digital Sansad platform, Karnataka remains divided over whether to customise NeVA or build an independent system.</p>.<p>A gap analysis conducted by Technical, Financial and Rules committees concluded that a tailored platform integrating the Assembly, Council, Legislative, Question, Notice, Accounts, Administrative branches and committees would be more suitable. A detailed project report (DPR), prepared based on these recommendations, is awaiting approval from Speaker U T Khader.</p>.<p>If cleared, the project will move through a Project Management Unit, followed by expressions of interest and tenders for nearly 75 modules. The first phase will cover Bengaluru’s Assembly and Council, followed by Belagavi, at an estimated cost of Rs 275–300 crore.</p>.<p>Digitisation could significantly reduce the estimated Rs 30 crore spent annually on printing reports, Bills and questions. However, structural constraints in the heritage building pose challenges. Wooden flooring limits cabling, and electrical regulations permit only DC power required experts, including from IISc, to devise AC-to-DC solutions.</p>.<p>Under the proposed system, 224 MLAs and 75 MLCs would have individual touchscreens inside the House. While a few members are tech-savvy, many rely on assistants. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admitting his difficulties in using a smartphone reflects on the older generation of legislators’ reluctance to use new technology.</p>.<p>Earlier, then Speaker K G Bopaiah had distributed iPads with training support. Current members have sought new devices. Even as the paperless Legislature is in "build" phase, the first- time MLAs’ training programme could do with a module on using latest technology besides the House rule and procedures.</p>.<p>Whether Karnataka can finally join the league of digital legislatures now hinges on the DPR’s approval — and political will.</p>.<p>Major constraints </p><p>1 Complicated workflow in bicameral system</p><p>2 Complications with heritage building (structure, wiring, etc.) </p><p>3 Older generation legislators’ reluctance</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Bundles of compact discs lie stacked in a small room in the Notice Branch of the Assembly Secretariat at Vidhana Soudha, ready to be sent to the Legislators’ Home ahead of the Budget session. The bundles, each containing 40 CDs, carry annual reports of boards and corporations, along with audit documents — a reminder that Karnataka’s legislature is yet to turn completely digital.</p>.<p>Though various government departments have begun shifting to pen drives and embedding hyperlinks on the official website, the transition remains partial. Ironically, Karnataka, which boasts of leading the country’s IT ecosystem, is among the few states still struggling to go fully digital when it comes to legislative business, though the Secretariat has made incremental progress.</p>.<p>At present, an online library provides access to legislative material, including Parliament resources. Questions and answers, Bills and debates are available online.</p>.<p>AI-based attendance for members and an online file movement system are operational. Yet, the dream of a paperless House remains distant.</p>.Karnataka Speaker mulls to link MLA grants with performance to boost attendance.<p>The Union government’s National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), launched under the 'One Nation, One Application' framework in 2014, sought to digitise State legislatures with 60% Central assistance. Karnataka briefly explored NeVA in 2018 but later opted to develop its own software, citing "serious gaps", particularly for a bicameral legislature.</p>.<p>Officials argue that workflows in Karnataka — movement of Bills between Assembly and Council, file transfers from departments, and the functioning of Question and Notice branches — are more complex than in unicameral states. While at least 19 states have adopted NeVA, and Parliament has implemented its own Digital Sansad platform, Karnataka remains divided over whether to customise NeVA or build an independent system.</p>.<p>A gap analysis conducted by Technical, Financial and Rules committees concluded that a tailored platform integrating the Assembly, Council, Legislative, Question, Notice, Accounts, Administrative branches and committees would be more suitable. A detailed project report (DPR), prepared based on these recommendations, is awaiting approval from Speaker U T Khader.</p>.<p>If cleared, the project will move through a Project Management Unit, followed by expressions of interest and tenders for nearly 75 modules. The first phase will cover Bengaluru’s Assembly and Council, followed by Belagavi, at an estimated cost of Rs 275–300 crore.</p>.<p>Digitisation could significantly reduce the estimated Rs 30 crore spent annually on printing reports, Bills and questions. However, structural constraints in the heritage building pose challenges. Wooden flooring limits cabling, and electrical regulations permit only DC power required experts, including from IISc, to devise AC-to-DC solutions.</p>.<p>Under the proposed system, 224 MLAs and 75 MLCs would have individual touchscreens inside the House. While a few members are tech-savvy, many rely on assistants. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admitting his difficulties in using a smartphone reflects on the older generation of legislators’ reluctance to use new technology.</p>.<p>Earlier, then Speaker K G Bopaiah had distributed iPads with training support. Current members have sought new devices. Even as the paperless Legislature is in "build" phase, the first- time MLAs’ training programme could do with a module on using latest technology besides the House rule and procedures.</p>.<p>Whether Karnataka can finally join the league of digital legislatures now hinges on the DPR’s approval — and political will.</p>.<p>Major constraints </p><p>1 Complicated workflow in bicameral system</p><p>2 Complications with heritage building (structure, wiring, etc.) </p><p>3 Older generation legislators’ reluctance</p>