00:00A total of 25 lakh election officials shall be deployed across five states and union territory,
00:07out of which 15 lakhs will be polling personnel, 8.5 lakh security personnel, 49,000 microobservers,
00:171,444 observers, 40,000 counting officials, 21,000 sector officers, and 15,000 microobservers for counting as well.
00:33The voter awareness campaign has progressed well, the maximum of which came through the special intensive revision enumeration forms.
00:43Apart from that, the Election Commission itself, the Chief Electoral Officers, and our sweep icons have penetrated deep
00:52with the substantial range and depth to reach each and every voter.
01:00For EVM awareness, various camps have been organized at the district level and even at the returning officers level
01:09to ensure that the transparency, the efficiency, and the information dissemination regarding these transparent electronic voting machines
01:19reaches the grassroots.
01:23The EVM awareness is Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
01:29More than 717 demonstrations centers were set up.
01:36Polling stations through mobile distribution vans were set up.
01:40People participated in EVM awareness, which is roughly more than 28 lakhs,
01:46and people who tried mock polls also.
01:50The hands-on on EVMs were more than 25 lakhs.
01:56In order to ensure a pleasant voting experience,
02:01the Election Commission has issued directions
02:04that in every polling station,
02:07there shall be provisions for drinking water,
02:10toilets, signages, ramps,
02:15wheelchairs with volunteers,
02:17help desks,
02:18voter facilitation centers,
02:20sufficient lighting inside the voting compartment
02:23with adequate shade
02:25shall be there in all the polling stations.
02:30Special care shall be taken
02:32for all our respected senior citizens
02:35and Divyangjan.
02:37The polling stations shall be on the ground floor.
02:41There shall be ramps.
02:42They have priority in voting.
02:45For seating arrangements,
02:46special benches shall be put up.
02:48They can also apply for home voting.
02:52And sufficient transport facility
02:54also will be available
02:55to our respected senior citizens
02:58and persons with disabilities.
03:03During the recent 12 months,
03:05the Election Commission of India
03:07has taken more than 30 new initiatives
03:09to ensure that elections
03:11are more transparent,
03:13the experience to the electors
03:15is much, much more pleasant,
03:18and all the stakeholders
03:19get all the necessary information
03:22as soon as possible.
03:25The first one of them
03:27has been the special intensive revision,
03:31which ensures,
03:32in accordance with Article 326
03:35of the Constitution,
03:36that no eligible voter
03:39shall be excluded
03:41while at the same time
03:43no ineligible person
03:45should be included.
03:48Amongst the new initiatives,
03:51just outside the gate
03:53of the polling station,
03:54an elector can go
03:56deposit his or her mobile,
03:59go and vote inside
04:00and come out
04:01and collect the mobile
04:02and go back.
04:04In order to identify
04:07the candidate
04:08to whom the elector
04:09wants to select,
04:12there shall be
04:13colored photograph
04:13of all the candidates
04:14on the EVMs.
04:16In order to ensure
04:18that there are no long queues,
04:20not more than 1,200 electors
04:22shall be there
04:23in any polling station.
04:24The candidate booths
04:27can be set up
04:28just outside
04:29100 meters
04:30of the polling station
04:32and the voter information slip
04:34will have a clear number
04:36mentioning
04:36the voter's
04:40polling station,
04:41its number
04:42and his part
04:44and serial number.
04:46Amongst the other new
04:48initiatives,
04:50one major initiative
04:51has been
04:52that all the applications
04:54of Election Commission
04:55of India
04:56now are under
04:57one app
04:58which is applicable
04:59on mobile,
05:00available on mobile
05:02and it is called
05:02as ECINET.
05:05All the necessary
05:06information
05:06across all the
05:07stakeholders
05:08is available
05:11whether it is
05:13your epic card,
05:14whether it is
05:15your polling station,
05:16whether it is
05:16about the candidate,
05:18whether it is
05:18about the affidavits
05:19of the candidate,
05:20whether it is
05:21about the progress
05:22of polling
05:24which is taking place
05:25or whether it is
05:25about counting.
05:27There shall be
05:28100% webcasting
05:29to ensure transparency
05:30in each
05:31and every polling station.
05:35The presiding officers
05:37of every polling station
05:38shall input
05:40the number of votes
05:42cast after every
05:43two hours
05:43to ensure
05:45that voting percentages
05:46which are being relayed
05:48through the media
05:50to the public
05:50at large
05:51is by and large
05:52accurate
05:52and at end
05:54of the poll,
05:55whatever the figures
05:56are there
05:57in 17C,
05:58accordingly,
05:59the percentage
06:00is also displayed
06:01without any further delay.
06:03All the booth level
06:04officers
06:04have been given
06:06identity cards
06:07so that our electors
06:09and the households
06:10can identify
06:11them easily
06:12and since
06:14our electoral staff
06:15has been working
06:16very hard,
06:17their remunerations
06:18were also increased.
06:21ECA Night,
06:22as I mentioned,
06:23will be containing
06:24all the 40 different
06:25applications
06:26integrated
06:26in a seamless manner.
06:33In another initiative
06:35to enhance
06:35transparency,
06:36the postal ballots
06:38will be counted
06:38two rounds
06:40before
06:41the EVMs.
06:43Similarly,
06:45all the statistics
06:45relating to the elections
06:47shall be available
06:48through ECI net
06:49itself
06:50in case of
06:55any difference
06:56because of
06:57typographical errors
06:58between 17C
07:00which is given
07:01at the polling stations
07:02to all the polling agents
07:04who are present
07:05and the EVM count
07:07if there is a difference,
07:09the VVpads
07:10of that EVM
07:11shall
07:12meditarily
07:13be counted.
07:14Similarly,
07:15after the counting
07:16is over,
07:17the losing candidate
07:18can prefer
07:20after prescribed
07:21payment of fee
07:22checking of the EVM
07:24along with
07:25VVpad counting.
07:28in order to ensure
07:30that the entire
07:32process
07:32is done
07:33similarly
07:34at all the polling
07:35stations,
07:36a gigantic
07:37training effort
07:38has been undertaken
07:39by the Election
07:40Commission of India
07:41by training
07:43officers
07:43right down
07:45to booth level
07:45officers
07:46by the commission
07:47itself.
07:48The booth level
07:49agents
07:49were also trained,
07:50of course,
07:51the police officers,
07:53the DEOs,
07:54the communication
07:54officers,
07:55and this capacity
07:56building exercise
07:57had been piloted
07:59by India
08:00International Institute
08:01for Democracy
08:02and Election Management,
08:03Triple IDM,
08:04which is run by
08:05the Election
08:05Commission of India.
08:06Election
08:07Commission of India
08:08also trains
08:09officers of more
08:10than 100 countries
08:11concurrently.
08:15in order to have a
08:16substantial dialogue
08:18and engagement
08:19with the stakeholders,
08:21the commission
08:22adopted a
08:23consultative
08:23and collaborated
08:24approach
08:25by which
08:26more than
08:274,700
08:29all-party
08:30meetings
08:30were held
08:31by all the
08:32returning officers,
08:33DEOs,
08:34and CEOs
08:34of this country.
08:36Similarly,
08:37the Election
08:38Commission
08:38of India
08:39also invited
08:40all the national
08:41and state-level
08:42political parties
08:43to have such
08:44meetings,
08:44and more than
08:4528 such meetings
08:46have already
08:46taken place.
08:48There has been
08:48national conference
08:49with legal councils
08:50and interactions
08:51with field-level
08:52beneficiaries,
08:53that is,
08:54booth-level
08:54officers,
08:55EROs,
08:55DEOs,
08:56during the
08:56state visits.
08:59There have been
09:00other hosts
09:01of new
09:02initiatives
09:02which have
09:03been mentioned
09:03here,
09:03totaling to
09:04number 30.
09:05The slides
09:06will be there,
09:07and the commission
09:08has been
09:08extremely proactive,
09:10transparent,
09:11efficient,
09:11and consultative
09:12in its approach
09:13to ensure
09:13that the
09:15experience of
09:16election is
09:17much,
09:17much more
09:18pleasant to
09:19our prime
09:19stakeholder,
09:20that is,
09:21the elector.
09:25Considering
09:26that India
09:26has been
09:27the mother
09:27of democracies
09:28and the
09:29largest of
09:29them all,
09:30with the
09:31most transparent
09:31elections
09:32taking place,
09:33the international
09:35idea is now
09:36currently being
09:38chaired by
09:38India.
09:40We also
09:41held an
09:42international
09:43conference
09:43with more
09:45than 70
09:45countries,
09:52where the
09:53chief electoral
09:54officers from
09:56those countries
09:56has participated
09:57recently.
10:01Commission
10:02had review
10:04visits to
10:04all these
10:05five states
10:06slash UT
10:07and met
10:08all the officers,
10:10as I had
10:11mentioned earlier,
10:12including our
10:13foot soldiers,
10:14for soldiers,
10:14that is,
10:15our booth-level
10:16officers.
10:19Clear directions
10:20have been issued
10:20to all the
10:21enforcement agencies,
10:22nearly 24 of
10:23them,
10:24that elections
10:27in these states
10:28and UT shall be
10:29inducement-free
10:29and violence-free.
10:35Directions have been
10:36issued to the
10:37collectors and the
10:38ASPs that they
10:39have to act with
10:40complete impartiality
10:42and enforce the
10:43rule of law.
10:44The observers
10:45which will be
10:46visiting the states,
10:47their details should be
10:48made public and any
10:50fake news on social
10:51media should be
10:53strictly monitored and
10:54necessary.
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