- Nodal Ministry- Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MPA)
- Technical Partner- National Informatics Centre (NIC) (Hosted on NIC's MeghRaj cloud)
- NeVA is essentially the digitisation project for India's state legislatures a "One Nation, One Application" idea to bring all state/UT legislative Houses onto a single digital platform, cutting down paper-based processes and making legislative business faster and more accessible.
- Funding structure - Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) -Total project outlay- ₹673.94 crore ,Central Government's share is capped at ₹423.60 crore (rest comes from states).
- MoU Sign-ups- 33 out of 37 State/UT Legislatures have formally signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to adopt NeVA.
- Digital Transformation Milestones- 21 Legislative Houses have fully transitioned into operational e-Legislatures using NeVA.
- Technical Backstopping- Technical execution and capacity-building are guided nationally by a dedicated Central Project Management Unit (CPMU).
Functional Features & System Capabilities-
- Device-Neutral Architecture- Accessible on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices (mNeVA app on Android and iOS).
- Paperless House Business- Digitizes the complete workflow—laying of papers, submission of notices, introduction of bills, committee reports, and publishing hourly verbatim proceedings.
- Online Government Replies- Departmental Secretaries and Ministers submit responses to Starred/Unstarred questions directly through the system, eliminating physical file movement.
- Central Data Depository- Synthesizes legislative data across India to enable comparative policy analysis and cross-state research.
Strategic Impact & Socio-Environmental Benefits-
A. Administrative Efficiency & Speed-
- Mid-term evaluations confirm significant reductions in processing times for legislative notices, faster dissemination of assembly proceedings, and better document handling.
B. Fiscal Savings-
- Eliminates recurring physical paper procurement, high-volume printing, transportation, and document storage overheads across state capitals. (Estimated potential savings of up to ₹340 crore annually across India).
C. Environmental Sustainability (SDG Alignment)-
- Saving thousands of tons of paper annually translates directly into saving lakhs of trees. Aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 (Life on Land) and advances climate commitments by cutting paper carbon footprints.
D. Transparency & Participatory Democracy-
- Empowers citizens, researchers, and media by providing open access to real-time legislative business, tabled reports, and assembly debates.
Conclusion:
⇒ State/UT Legislatures are autonomous institutions, so NeVA has been implemented in consultation with respective State Legislatures, subject to their own preparedness meaning the Centre can't force this on states; adoption depends on each legislature's own readiness and consent. This is a good federalism-related nuance to keep in mind.
Source: PIB
