Rajasthan Introduces Online Assembly Questions
The Hindu, January 11, 2010

In a first of its kind, an online Assembly question and answer information system will be introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly in the next budget session, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Assembly Speaker Dipender Singh Shekhawat announced on Monday.

The new technology developed by National Informatics Centre probably for the first time will bring better transparency in the Assembly as well as in the bureaucracy, Gehlot told reporters in the Speaker’s chamber here. It will be introduced in the next budget session likely either in February or March, he said.

The new technology would provide online questions to government for answering, to facilitate all government departments to directly print question notices online through the system, Gehlot said. This would also enable government officials to upload answers for each question, the Chief Minister said, adding that it would also reduce pendency of questions.

Elected representatives and public would also have access under Right to Information to know replies on their matters and questions when taken up in the house, Gehlot said.

The government has provided laptops to MLAs and internet facilities for their work including questions, he said. A workshop for MLAs, MPs, and top IAS officers like Principal Secretaries would be organised soon to make them IT friendly, the Chief Minister said.

On being asked whether there is any plan for live coverage of House proceedings on Doordarshan, Gehlot said the Speaker and the government should sit together to decide on the issue.

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