YEAR END REVIEW 2025: MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

1. At a Glance

• The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) is the inter-government interface that coordinates legislative business between the executive and the two Houses of Parliament. Its annual Year End Review captures the legislative output and digital-democracy push of the year [S1].
• 2025 was a heavy legislative year: 39 Bills passed by both Houses, several landmark statutes enacted, and the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) crossed 20 State/UT legislatures [S1][S2][S3].
• For UPSC, the topic anchors GS-II questions on Parliament, e-Governance of legislatures, and federal coordination with State Legislatures.

2. Why in the News

• MoPA released its Year End Review 2025 on 05 January 2026 highlighting 39 Bills passed, special parliamentary discussions on Operation Sindoor, Electoral Reforms and 150 years of "Vande Mataram", and onboarding of new States onto NeVA [S1].
• 3rd National Conference on NeVA held on 30 October 2025 at Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi, adopting the "New Delhi Resolution on NeVA 2025" [S2][S3].

3. Background & Evolution

• MoPA was set up in 1949 (initially as a department) to act as a bridge between Government and Parliament; handles government business in both Houses, summoning/prorogation advisories, Consultative Committees, Youth Parliament, and All India Whips' Conference.
• NeVA rolled out as a Mission Mode Project under Digital India, on the principle "One Nation – One Application", to make State/UT Legislatures end-to-end paperless [S2][S3].
• Himachal Pradesh was the first fully digital Vidhan Sabha (2014) which became the template for NeVA; the National Informatics Centre (NIC) is the technology partner [S3].

4. Core Static Facts

• Ministry: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; Union Minister (2025): Shri Kiren Rijiju (also Minority Affairs) [S2].
• Bills passed in 2025: 39 (both Houses) [S1].
• NeVA coverage (end-2025): 20 State/UT Legislatures fully live [S1][S4].
• Rajasthan – 16th (Budget Session, 31 Jan 2025) [S3].
• Odisha – fully digital House (13 Feb 2025) [S3].
• Uttarakhand – 18th State (18 Feb 2025) [S3].
• Puducherry – 19th State/UT (17 June 2025) [S3].
• NeVA Public Portal available in 23 languages [S3].
• Flagship programmes: National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) 2.0, Constitution Day (26 Nov) observance, All India Whips' Conference, Matters under Rule 377/Special Mentions monitoring [S1].

Landmark Legislations of 2025 [S1]

• Income-tax Bill, 2025 (rewrite of IT Act, 1961).
• National Sports Governance Bill, 2025.
• Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
• Promotion & Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
• SHANTI Bill (Support for Harnessing Avenues of New-age Technologies for India / arbitration-linked).
• VB-G-Ram-G Bill (Viksit Bharat – Gram / Gramin – G).

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Legal / Constitutional - MoPA derives its role from Articles 85, 87, 107–122 governing legislative procedure; coordinates Bills under Article 107 and assists in implementation of Article 75(3) (collective responsibility) [general]. - 39 Bills in a single year reflects high legislative throughput; the Income-tax Bill is a once-in-six-decades recodification [S1].

Administrative / Federal - NeVA implementation needs State buy-in (Legislative Secretariats are independent under Article 187); MoPA funds 60:40 (90:10 for NE/Hill/UT) under Digital India [S3]. - 20/31 legislatures live indicates partial coverage; large legislatures like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal still pending [S4].

Scientific / Technological - NeVA offers List of Business, Questions, Notices, Debates, Bills, Committee Reports digitally; supports 23 Indian languages for inclusivity [S2][S3]. - Mobile app + cloud-hosted; aids AI-search of Debates and Bills [S2].

Governance / Ethical - Special discussions on Operation Sindoor (post-Pahalgam counter-terror operation), Electoral Reforms, and 150 years of Vande Mataram strengthened deliberative tradition [S1]. - Paperless legislatures align with SDG-16 (strong institutions) and reduce carbon footprint of legislative printing [S3].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 31 Jan 2025 – Rajasthan Assembly becomes 16th NeVA State [S3].
• 13 Feb 2025 – Odisha Assembly joins NeVA [S3].
• 18 Feb 2025 – Uttarakhand becomes 18th [S3].
• 17 June 2025 – Puducherry becomes 19th [S3].
• 30 Oct 2025 – 3rd National Conference on NeVA; "New Delhi Resolution on NeVA 2025" adopted [S2].
• 26 Nov 2025 – Constitution Day; mass singing of Vande Mataram marking 150 years of the National Song [S1].
• 2025 – Parliament held special discussions on Operation Sindoor and Electoral Reforms [S1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Number of Bills passed by Parliament in 2025: 39 [S1].
• NeVA principle: "One Nation – One Application" under Digital India, Mission Mode Project [S2].
• Implementing Ministry of NeVA: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (NOT MeitY; tech partner is NIC) [S2].
• NeVA Public Portal languages: 23 [S3].
• State/UTs live on NeVA by end-2025: 20 [S1][S4].
• First State to adopt NeVA in 2025 (16th overall): Rajasthan, 31 Jan 2025 [S3].
• 19th Legislature (UT) on NeVA: Puducherry, 17 June 2025 [S3].
• 3rd National Conference on NeVA: 30 Oct 2025, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi [S2].
• Vande Mataram 150th anniversary observed in 2025 (composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875) [S1].
• Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (2025): Kiren Rijiju, who also holds Minority Affairs [S2].
• NYPS 2.0 = National Youth Parliament Scheme, run by MoPA [S1].
• Landmark 2025 enactments: Income-tax Bill, National Sports Governance Bill, Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Online Gaming (P&R) Bill, SHANTI Bill, VB-G-Ram-G Bill [S1].
• Constitution Day: 26 November (commemorates adoption of Constitution in 1949) [S1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II — Parliament & State Legislatures: structure, functioning, conduct of business; e-governance of legislatures.
• GS-II — Government Policies: digital transformation of institutions (Digital India linkage).
• GS-III — e-Governance: NeVA as a digital public infrastructure for legislatures.

Probable Question Stems 1. "Examine how the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is transforming legislative functioning in India. What are the challenges to its universal adoption?" 2. "Discuss the role of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in ensuring smooth legislative business. Has the legislative productivity of 2025 reflected institutional health?" 3. "The 2025 legislative agenda redefined several sectors — taxation, sports, waqf, and online gaming. Critically analyse."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Anti-Defection Law (10th Schedule) — MoPA tracks party whips.
• Parliamentary Committees — Standing, Select, Joint; productivity link.
• Digital India Mission Mode Projects — NeVA is one of 44.
• Income-tax Act recodification — for Economy/GS-III.
• Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 — minority/governance angle.
• Online Gaming regulation — IT Rules + new Act intersection.
• Operation Sindoor — defence/security GS-III.
• Article 105 (Privileges) — context for special discussions.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• NeVA is implemented by MoPA, not MeitY or Ministry of Law (Legislative Department of MoLJ handles drafting of Central Bills) [S2].
• Himachal Pradesh was the first paperless Assembly (2014) but the 16th–19th numbers in 2025 refer to NeVA platform adoption; do not confuse the two counts [S3].
• Vande Mataram (1875) ≠ Jana Gana Mana (1911); only the first two stanzas have the status of National Song (adopted 24 Jan 1950) [S1].
• Constitution Day is 26 November (adoption), not 26 January (commencement) [S1].
• The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in 2025 is Kiren Rijiju, who also handles Minority Affairs — not Law & Justice [S2].

11. Sources

• [S1] YEAR END REVIEW 2025: MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2211578&reg=3&lang=1 — (tier 1)
• [S2] 3rd National Conference on NeVA concludes in New Delhi — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2184402&reg=3&lang=2 — (tier 1)
• [S3] NeVA Designed to Make Legislative Proceedings of State/UT Legislatures Paperless and Promote Transparency — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2115364 — (tier 1)
• [S4] 20 State/UT Legislatures have Implemented National e-Vidhan Application for Digital Legislatures — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2197047&reg=3&lang=1 — (tier 1)