PORVORIM: From next year, the

Goa legislative assembly

will go paperless and for that all 40 MLAs will be given

iPads

.

Replying to demands for grants to the legislature secretariat and other departments, chief minister

Manohar Parrikar

announced this on Wednesday and said this can be initiated from the March 2013 session. He said every MLA and all legislative assembly secretariat staff will be given iPads.

Parrikar said to facilitate the new system, MLAs will be first trained on use of iPads during assembly proceedings. Stating it would be good to have paperless assembly sessions, he said it would not be difficult for members to switch over to the new system.

He said in the session the initiative will be introduced, iPads and papers could be used to ease the transition. "Huge quantity of paper is used for printing assembly documents and related papers," Parrikar said, adding that "it will also help save some trees".

The chief minister also expressed readiness to construct a hostel for MLAs. He said when the session ends late, a need for a hostel is felt.