Delhi Assembly Goes Green: Paperless Revolution Saves Trees and Costs

The Delhi Assembly's paperless Winter Session saved Rs 1.69 lakh, reduced paper usage by over 3.38 lakh pages, preserved 40.56 trees, and lowered carbon emissions. The initiative, led by Speaker Vijender Gupta, demonstrated significant environmental and financial benefits by cutting down on printed documents.

The recent paperless Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly achieved a milestone in digital documentation, resulting in significant savings both in costs and environmental impact. The transition to a paperless system yielded Rs 1.69 lakh in cost savings and drastically cut paper use by over 3.38 lakh pages, thereby protecting 40.56 trees and reducing carbon emissions, according to Speaker Vijender Gupta.

This environmental and financial achievement was driven by the avoidance of printing thousands of pages of question papers, Bills, and other official documents. An internal assessment highlighted that the Question Branch alone saved 2,24,000 pages, while the Bills Branch avoided 64,000 pages, among others. These measures cumulatively saved on substantial paper expenses, with the effort being implemented as part of the National e-Vidhan Application.

Besides financial savings, the session involved notable political discourse. An issue arose concerning an alleged 'insult' to Guru Tegh Bahadur during the assembly proceedings, prompting forensic examination of the related footage. Speaker Gupta emphasized the importance of maintaining constitutional propriety and the integrity of the legislative process in response to external attempts to influence ongoing inquiries.

(With inputs from agencies.)