CM Rekha Gupta's Big Move: 3 Gifts for Each Delhi MLA

Delhi's Rekha Gupta government has provided three gifts each to all 70 MLAs, which is being considered an important step towards making the assembly paperless. With this, inaugurating a 500 kW rooftop solar power plant, the Delhi Assembly has become India's first assembly to be completely dependent on solar energy.

All 70 members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly have been provided the new iPhone 16 Pro for official use this week. According to the Indian Express report, the distribution was done on the occasion of the launch of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in the Delhi Assembly on Monday. The move is being seen as a technological initiative under the Central Government's 'One Nation, One Application' program.

All the MLAs, including Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, were provided with iPhones as well as iPads and tablets. According to an official of the Assembly Secretariat, the distribution of these devices became a topic of discussion on the first day of the monsoon session. All the MLAs attended the proceedings with their new mobile handsets and tablets, and last month they had also undergone training on the use of the digital interface.

However, the decision to distribute iPhones to the MLAs has led to a political controversy. Last month, the Delhi government had increased the purchase limit of mobile phones for the chief minister and ministers from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1.25 lakh respectively. This revised order issued on July 9 led to a heated debate between the ruling BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party over the purchase of high-end phones.

With the inauguration of a 500-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant on Sunday, the Delhi Assembly became India's first assembly to be completely dependent on solar energy. On the occasion, Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal informed that three new criminal laws have been fully implemented in Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the commissioning of the solar power plant as an important step of responsibility towards environmental protection.