Now Reading: BMC to give tablets to all 237 corporators, opposition criticises
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BMC to give tablets to all 237 corporators, opposition criticises
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed giving 13-inch tablets to all 237 corporators, including 10 nominated members, as part of a shift to paperless meetings. The Times of India reports that…
The Story in Brief
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed giving 13-inch tablets to all 237 corporators, including 10 nominated members, as part of a shift to paperless meetings. The Times of India reports that physical copies of agendas will still be circulated during the transition. Opposition leader Kishori Pednekar of Shiv Sena (UBT) said most corporators already own smartphones and called the plan an unnecessary expense of taxpayers' money.
BJP group leader Ganesh Khankar defended the move, saying it would gradually familiarise corporators with digital tools and eventually eliminate paper. The BMC is also exploring a voice-to-text system for House proceedings. Pednekar pointed to falling fixed deposits of the civic body and questioned spending on new devices, recalling that laptops were given in an earlier era when smartphones were rare.
The Indian Opinion
Both sides have a point, but the real test is whether the tablets actually cut paper use and costs. The opposition claims this is wasteful when smartphones already do the job. The ruling party says it is about building a digital habit. But what matters is the outcome: will the BMC show a measurable drop in printing and distribution expenses in the next annual report? Until that number comes, this remains a political quarrel dressed up as a policy debate.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
