New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta on Monday met Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru and briefed him about the digital transition and various other transparency initiatives undertaken by the Legislative Assembly.

During the interaction, Speaker Gupta informed Gehlot about the All India Speaker’s Conference 2025, which was hosted in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, commemorating the centenary of the first Indian elected Speaker, Vithalbhai Patel.

He also highlighted the Assembly’s transition to a fully digital legislature under the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) framework, aimed at creating a paperless environment to enhance transparency, efficiency, and legislative governance.

Gupta shared a visionary plan to develop the Delhi Assembly as a heritage complex, aimed at preserving the architectural and historical legacy of the institution while integrating modern amenities for legislators and visitors.

He emphasised that such initiatives reflect the Assembly’s commitment to innovation, heritage preservation, and service to the people of Delhi.

Delhi Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht was also present during the visit to Karnataka Raj Bhavan.

Speaker Gupta’s interaction with Gehlot highlighted the shared resolve to uphold democratic traditions and the need to work together for the nation’s progress.

Earlier, Speaker Gupta addressed the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference on the theme ‘Dialogue and Discussion in Legislative Institutions: The Foundation of Public Trust, the Medium of Fulfilling People’s Aspirations’ in Bengaluru.

In his address, he said: “Strengthening democracy through transparent evaluation, the National Legislative Index (NLI) will serve as a benchmark for state legislatures.”

He underscored the importance of the NLI as a landmark framework to evaluate legislative performance across India’s federal structure.

Gupta emphasised that the NLI provides a transparent, data-driven tool designed to strengthen democratic governance.

He said: “It not only measures the productivity and quality of legislative institutions but also tracks progress and identifies gaps in democratic performance.”

By enabling comparisons among state-level legislatures, the Index seeks to encourage healthy competition, foster best practices, and drive meaningful reforms that can make law-making bodies more responsive, accountable, and effective, he said.

The Delhi Speaker highlighted that while India has robust indices for health, education, and economic governance at the state level, there has so far been no systematic mechanism to measure the functioning and effectiveness of state legislatures — the very institutions at the heart of democracy. “The NLI seeks to fill this critical gap,” he said.

--IANS

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