Ahmedabad: In a move aligned with the Centre’s Digital India initiative, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to make the functioning of its general and special meetings completely paperless and digital by amending existing rules. With this step, AMC is set to become the first municipal corporation in Gujarat to adopt fully digital proceedings for its meetings.

Under the provisions of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations (GPMC) Act, 1949, AMC is required to convene at least one general meeting every month, apart from a special meeting for the annual budget. At present, agendas and notices are printed and dispatched to councillors’ residences, and additional copies are distributed at the meeting venue. The civic body spends around ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per month on printing nearly 500 agenda copies and 300 notices, along with an additional ₹10,000 on postage. Annually, the expenditure on printing agendas, notices, and related material exceeds ₹4 lakh.

With the proposed digital transition, meeting agendas and related documents will be made available in digital format, significantly reducing recurring costs and paper consumption. According to AMC estimates, the move could cut printing and postage expenses by 80–90 per cent, allowing the savings to be redirected towards city development works. The initiative is also expected to contribute to environmental protection by reducing paper usage, saving trees, and lowering the civic body’s carbon footprint.

As part of the new system, instead of sending the agenda/notice of each meeting to members by post at their residential addresses, it will be sent through email and also published on the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation website. In addition, a brief notice mentioning the date, time, and venue of the meeting will be published in a local newspaper.

To facilitate paperless functioning, tablets will be installed in the AMC meeting hall to provide digital access to agendas and records for office-bearers, councillors, and officials, along with other necessary arrangements for digitisation.

The civic body believes the shift will not only support the Digital India campaign but also improve efficiency by enabling instant access to documents, easier record-keeping, and better preparation for meetings, thereby making proceedings more productive.