The 18th Whips Conference started in Udaipur from 8th January 2018. It is a two days conference and the Centre is keen to bring its ‘Go Green’ initiative to the Parliament and state assemblies and move to the paperless functioning and digitised proceedings.
- e-Sansad and e-Vidhan are mission mode projects of Government of India under the Modi Government’s Digital India program to make the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures paperless.
- The government intends to roll out e-Sansad and e-Vidhan in Parliament and State Legislatures respectively to digitise and make their functioning paperless and the conference would discuss the matter to facilitate their early and seamless roll out.
- The MoPA (Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs) is the nodal ministry responsible for the implementation of both the projects.
- Apart from saving on costs and paper, going paperless in Parliament and State Legislatures will be responsive, productive, transparent and more accountable to the public.
- Whips Conference
- The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar inaugurated the 18th Whips Conference on 8th January 2018 in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
- This two day conference will focus on the efficient functioning of the legislatures and the delegates will make suggestions and recommendations for making the roll out of e-Vidhan a success.
- A whip is member of a political party’s parliamentary body responsible for discipline within the party.
- Some states have made good progress in the field of automation of their legislatures yet there is consumption of huge volume of papers still going on.
- In order to address this issue and economise the entire legislative process, e-Vidhan is proposed by the Centre to be implemented in all the states and Union Territories with legislatures.
- The first All India Whips Conference was held at Indore in 1952, in the very first year of General elections to the first Lok Sabha.
