As UP Assembly goes paperless, MLAs fumble with tablets

Lucknow, May 27:  The e-Vidhan that has made the Uttar Pradesh state Assembly go paperless, is proving cumbersome for the legislators, many of whom are not tech-savvy.

While the BJP MLAs and ministers are going an extra mile to learn how to operate the tablets installed on their seats and some are even taking classes from their children or others to learn the functioning of the device, opposition members are vocal about their reservations of the new system.

"The Vidhan Sabha officials should have implemented the new system in a phased manner and allowed the house to function in a hybrid mode for some time. We are left grappling with the tablet and tend to miss out on the proceedings," said a Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA.

Another SP MLA said that the government wanted to leave the opposition grappling with the new system so that focus could be diverted from other important issues.

Several MLAs can be seen peering into blank tablets and some SP MLAs managed to fix their party logo on their screens.

A BJP MLA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that a minimum training of one week was required to make the legislators familiar with operating the tablets.

Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar was seen peering into a pamphlet to learn how to operate the device on occasions more than one.

Senior ministers like Suresh Khanna and Surya Pratap Shahi were also seen seeking help from NIC techies while others were inquiring from each other.