- Why in news
- On 5 August 2026, the Government told the Lok Sabha that 21 Legislative Houses have become digital under NeVA, and 33 of 37 State/UT Legislatures have signed MoUs.
- What it is
- The National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is a Mission Mode Project that makes the work of State and UT Legislatures paperless. It puts House business, such as questions, notices, bills and reports, on one digital platform. It is run by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and States sign MoUs to adopt it.
- MoU coverage
- 33 of the 37 State/UT Legislatures have signed MoUs to implement NeVA.
- Digital houses
- 21 Legislative Houses have been transformed into digital Legislatures, including two Councils (Bihar and Uttar Pradesh).
- Central assistance
- Central financial assistance of ₹138.17 crore has been disbursed to these Houses.
- Language tools
- Public portals have BHASHINI AI translation into the 22 Scheduled Languages and English.
- Hosting and security
- NeVA is hosted on NIC Meghraj 2.0 cloud, with a Disaster Recovery site, security audits and two-factor login.
- Nodal ministry
- NeVA is implemented by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
- Adoption
- 33 of 37 State/UT Legislatures have signed MoUs for NeVA.
- Funding
- Funded on the CSS pattern; total outlay Rs 673.94 crore, Centre's share limited to Rs 423.60 crore.
- Technical support
- The Central Project Management Unit (CPMU) gives technical support and capacity building to Legislatures.
Don’t confuse with NeVA vs Digital Sansad: NeVA serves State/UT Legislatures. Digital Sansad is the Parliament's own digital platform.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Paperless work saves paper and time, and makes House proceedings easier to access.
- Multilingual translation helps citizens follow legislative business in their own language.
- Paperless working speeds up legislative business and saves printing and storage costs.
- Gives citizens easier access to legislative information, improving transparency.
Problems
- Uneven progress: only 21 Houses are digital, though 33 have signed MoUs.
- Cybersecurity risks and varying digital skills among members and staff.
- Uneven adoption: 4 of 37 Legislatures have not signed MoUs and only 21 are fully digital.
- Legislative autonomy means progress depends on each House's preparedness.
Way forward
- Speed up the remaining Houses with training, hardware and timely central funds.
- Keep up regular security audits and add open public access to proceedings and records.
- Build more capacity and training in Legislatures that are slow to adopt.
- Continue consultation with Legislatures and extend digitisation to all Houses.
Put in your answer
Central funding: ₹138.17 crore was released as central assistance to the digital Houses, an example of Centre-State cooperation.
Mid-term evaluation: Found faster processing of business, less paper use and savings in printing and storage.
- 2023Mains GS2 · Q8Inadequacies hampering effectiveness, transparency and accountability in e-governance.
- 2023Mains GS2 · Q5Presiding officers' role in state legislative order and democratic practices.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Factors hampering ICT project implementation and measures to improve them.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements about the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA): 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. 2. All the State/UT Legislatures that have signed MoUs for it have become digital Legislatures. 3. It is funded entirely by the Central Government. 4. Technical support and capacity building for Legislatures under it are provided through the Central Project Management Unit. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Which of the statements given above are correct?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.NeVA is implemented by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
True. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is the nodal ministry.
2.As per the release, 33 of the 37 State/UT Legislatures have signed MoUs for NeVA.
True. 33 of 37 have signed MoUs.
3.All the Legislatures that signed MoUs have become digital Legislatures under NeVA.
False. Only 21 Houses have been transformed into digital Legislatures.
4.NeVA is funded entirely by the Central Government.
False. It is funded on the CSS pattern; the Centre's share is limited to Rs 423.60 crore of Rs 673.94 crore.
5.The total outlay of the NeVA project is Rs 673.94 crore.
True. Total outlay is Rs 673.94 crore.
6.Technical support to State Legislatures under NeVA is provided through the Central Project Management Unit.
True. The CPMU provides technical support and capacity building.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.