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Saving Money and Emissions by Shifting Parliamentary Meetings Online

Tuesday, May 12, 2026
5 min read
Saving Money and Emissions by Shifting Parliamentary Meetings Online

Milind Deora, an MP from Shiv Sena, floated an idea recently. The gist? the government could actually save about one hundred crore rupees every year just by shifting parliamentary committee meetings online.

It sounds simple enough, but it comes at a strange time. Prime Minister Modi is pushing everyone for austerity right now. Think work-from-home, cutting fuel use, ditching unnecessary travel. Everything is being tightened because of the mounting economic strain from the West Asia situation.

Deora suggested that most of those committee sessions—the ones for Parliament and PSU reviews—should just happen virtually when Parliament isn't actually sitting. He argued it could save the government that much money annually. And there’s the side benefit too: cutting down on carbon emissions.

He put this out on X. He framed it as one reform worth looking at, especially since Modi is talking about fuel cuts. He suggested moving these meetings online would let committees function efficiently through some secure virtual setup.

Parliamentary committees are important stuff, sure. They are the backbone of how India legislates. There are twenty-four department-related standing committees, plus the select and joint ones, which meet even when Parliament is adjourned.

But these meetings aren't just paperwork. They cost money. A lot of fuel gets burned. MPs have to travel across the country just to be there. Then you have hotels, local transport, all the logistics, and those inspection visits to PSUs. It’s a whole expenditure stream.

Deora’s estimate, he mentioned when talking to the Economic Times , seemed to be based on the costs for maybe eight hundred MPs traveling around Delhi, doing those tours, and dealing with PSU travel. The argument is that all that spending can just disappear if you use secure digital platforms. Something we got used to during the pandemic, right?

Supporters of this idea say it makes everything faster. Less disruption. Less time wasted. They point out that corporate boards, courts, even international bodies, they’re all doing hybrid stuff now. It just makes sense to apply that logic here.

But there’s the catch. These committees deal with sensitive stuff. Confidential documents. Deep negotiations. You can’t just throw that into a virtual meeting without worrying about cybersecurity. Access issues? Tech access? Those are real concerns.

Still, the timing feels important. It’s not just about convenience or modernization, which is how these digital talks usually start. This time, it’s being pushed as an economic necessity.

The real pressure is outside. That’s the trigger. The conflict involving the US and Iran is rattling global energy markets. Oil prices are spiking. India imports most of its crude. It’s highly exposed to whatever happens in West Asia.

With fuel prices eating into the budget, foreign exchange reserves feeling the squeeze, and the rupee wobbling, the government is focused on conservation. Modi has been hammering home things lately. Use petrol and diesel with restraint. Use public transport. Carpool. Work from home. All to cut fuel use.

The Prime Minister even called for more video conferences, trying to cut down on travel and save foreign exchange.

Deora’s suggestion, then, just extends that same logic. It’s that austerity has to start at home. It’s about saving resources wherever you can. It’s about making the system leaner, faster.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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