The tablets were given to 270 legislators and 80 senators, which is in fulfilment of their 2018 pre-budget seminar demands
This initiative will see parliament discontinuing the use of printed material and other documents that are used by legislators in conducting Parliament business.
Speaking to the speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda he said, " it is all part of parliament initiative, the context is that the world is going digital so we are adopting digital initiatives ".
He announced this initiative when Parliament resumed sitting from a Christmas holiday.
"I wish to advise Honourable Members who have not yet collected their ICT tablets to do so. Officers of the Information and Communication Technology Department (ICT) who are distributing the ICT tablets are stationed in Room No. 311, Third Floor.
"I also wish to advise the House that from Tuesday 18th February 2020 onwards, the Votes and Proceedings and other documents related to the business of Parliament will be sent electronically and Honourable Members can access the documents from their ICT tablets. No hard copies will be printed," he said.
Honourable Mudenda also informed legislators that Parliament has made an arrangement for ICT illiterate legislators to be attended to by the ICT department.
"On the perceived inadequacies on the use of the ICT tablets, you need to liaise with your Chief Whips because we came up with procedures as to how those inadequacies can be technologically attended to.
"If you are in doubt, you see the ICT Department, they will advise you accordingly. Let me take this opportunity to welcome all of you Honourable Members to this session and I hope you had a restful period with families.
"We look forward to our cooperative venture in promoting the work of Parliament together," he said.
It is part of the Government initiative to intensified it's Electronic Government (e-government) drive through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
Recently Government launched an e- cabinet as Cabinet means to adapt new evolving technologies and accelerate the modernization of operating systems in the Information and Communication Technology sector.
