Net-savvy LS MPs can go paperless from next session

The net-savvy MPs of the Lok Sabha can go paperless from the next session of Parliament.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday told the MPs that they could opt for going paperless and start receiving all parliamentary documents online from the next session. He also said that efforts would be made to make the canteens in the Central Hall of the Parliament building cashless.

The Lok Sabha secretariat now gets the hard copies of Lists of Business and other documents delivered at the residences of the MPs, although soft copies are also available online.

Birla told the MPs during the Zero Hour that the MPs who would not like to continue receiving hard copies of the documents, would be given the option of getting documents online only.

He said that the initiative would not only save huge amount of money currently spent on printing and circulating the hard-copies but also contribute to the global effort to protect the environment.

Birla also said that he would try to ensure that the canteens in the Central Hall of the Parliament Building Building go fully cashless. Though the canteens had the facility of accepting digital payments, they had not been doing so in case of all transactions.

The Speaker asked for the cooperation of all MPs to turn the canteens fully cashless.

Kalyan Banerjee of Trinamool Congress urged the Speaker to take measures to ensure round-the-clock WiFi availability for the MPs.

S S Ahluwalia of the BJP said that he, himself, had gone paperless long back and carried no hard-copy of parliamentary documents to the Lok Sabha.