With the Uttar Pradesh assembly going paperless from the first session of the 18th Vidhan Sabha, the number of seats in the assembly hall has been increased to 415.
The seats have been increased as a tablet will be installed at each seat and the seats available were only 379 while the actual strength of the House is 403 with one seat reserved for the advocate general. The additional seats are for ministers who are members of the Vidhan Parishad but participate in the assembly proceedings.
The UP assembly’s strength was brought down to 404 (including a nominated member) following the division of Uttar Pradesh for the creation of Uttarakhand in the year 2000. The Uttar Pradesh assembly has no nominated member now and the strength is now 403.
“We needed more seats. After a few days, I was told arrangements have been made to increase the number of seats from 379 to 403. I went to the House to see the increased number of seats. But we still needed seats (about 10) for members of the Upper House, who are ministers. I had to remind the staff about the need for seats for them. The number of seats has been increased to 415 now,” said UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana.
“The members will now find tablets fixed on their respective desks when the 18th Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha meets for the first time for the forthcoming budget session. This is a major initiative to implement e-Vidhan and make the functioning of the legislature in the state paperless,” Mahana said.
“We will get the tablets fixed on every desk. No one can pull out these tablets. We will not replace/repair the damaged tablets, if pulled out. If you are not interested in speaking, why should we get the device repaired? These are all well-educated members,” he said.
Devices on the seats of the chief minister, the leader of opposition, minister for parliamentary affairs and the speaker will be bigger. The names of the members speaking in the House will be displayed. “The leaders of different political parties inspected the arrangements for making the assembly proceedings paperless and they were satisfied with the arrangements,” Mahana said.
As implementation of e-Vidhan will pave the way for paperless proceedings in the House, Governor Anandiben Patel is also likely to read out her address using a device.
“We hope the governor may use a device,” Mahana said while elaborating on measures for implementing e-Vidhan.
The Central government is implementing e-Vidhan aimed at connecting all state assemblies and bringing them on a common digital platform. A data depository is being set up to make the state legislatures paperless.
The Uttar Pradesh assembly has obviously decided to fix the tablets to the desks keeping in view the past two instances of violence in the House, witnessed in 1993 and 1997 when members pulled out microphones and used them as missiles to target each other. The state assembly has since then stopped using extension rod microphones. Instead, microphones have been fixed to the desks.
The speaker said on the eve of the session on May 22, a mock session would be held followed by a two-day ‘prabodhan’ (training) programme for the first time legislators.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the training programme on May 20 and on May 21 all members will be imparted training on using e-Vidhan system.
Mahana said for the facility of the media, tablets would also be installed in the press gallery.