news
India’s EC mulls new-age EVMs to help 300mn plus internal migrants and NRIs to vote
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN,
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, December 26: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is examining an ambitious plan to allow internal migrants and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to vote for a candidate in their home constituencies from anywhere in the country and abroad. This will enable 290 million Indians working in the country away from his birthplace, and 16 million NRIs working abroad.
In the world’s largest democracy, 911 million out of 1,138 million people are aged above 18, and are eligible to vote. In last year’s Lok Sabha election, 610 million (67%) voted—-the highest in Indian parliamentary history.
The proposal under discussion involves ushering in a new-age electronic voting machine (EVM) that will have a dynamic candidate’s list to enable voting for a contestant in one’s home constituency.
Current EVMs have a constituency-specific ballot unit which lists candidates only for a specific constituency. EVMs with a ‘dynamic ballot paper’ will display a list of contestants of a voter’s home constituency.
For instance, a voter registered in Malda in West Bengal but working in Delhi will be able to vote for a candidate of his or her choice in Malda from Delhi itself. At present, migrant voters are unable to vote unless they go to their constituency.
About 10,000 new-age EVMs are estimated to serve the purpose with every district given 5-6 such machines at various ‘remote voting’ centres with a higher number in bigger cities having higher migrant population.
The full Election Commission is set to soon deliberate a conceptual framework of the technology to enable vote-from-anywhere, with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind, The Economic Times quoted officials as saying. Pilot runs are likely to be done during bypolls.
In April, the poll panel set up a seven-member technical advisory group chaired by Rajat Moona, the former director general of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and with experts from IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) in Madras, Delhi and Bombay as members to work on a plan to develop a ‘remote voting framework’.
Moona said a ‘prototype demonstration’ will be done in a month to ECI. “We are looking at an EVM which instead of a paper ballot for a specific constituency will have a dynamic candidates’ list display to allow one to vote for a candidate in one’s home constituency.
“Each machine will be able to help voters of multiple constituencies cast the ballot instead of being specific to one constituency. New machines will have to be brought in for the purpose, and we hope to share the conceptual plan and prototype soon with the EC, which will take a final decision on it,” Moona said.
The study group has identified two key challenges: Minimal internet use with high safety features. Current EVMs do not use any internet and, therefore, are considered ‘hackproof’. The second challenge will be formulating a protocol for vote counting, VVPAT (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail) checks and verification for ballots cast using the dynamic EVMs.
“The latter is the toughest part, and we are looking at a few choices for the purpose of counting and VVPAT verification. In April, the poll panel set up a seven-member technical advisory group to work on a plan to develop a ‘remote voting framework’.
“ECI’s inputs and views on the right choice will be taken. We hope to have clarity by January so that we can plan pilot projects and ultimately scale up the use of the machine in the next Lok Sabha election in 2024,” Moona added.
The ECI is planning a technology shift along with the proposed postal ballot-based voting for NRIs. Incidentally, when consultations were held with political parties on allowing postal ballot for NRIs, many in the opposition, including the Congress Party, argued that steps need to be first taken to ensure domestic migrants are able to vote, regardless of geographic location. The ECI itself has been alive to the issue of domestic voters missing out for a while now.
Author
- News Advertiesment
See Kapruka’s top selling online shopping categories such as Toys, Grocery, Flowers, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Clothing and Electronics. Also see Kapruka’s unique online services such as Money Remittence,News, Courier/Delivery, Food Delivery and over 700 top brands. Also get products from Amazon & Ebay via Kapruka Gloabal Shop into Sri Lanka.
Author
-
sdfsdf sdf sf sf sdf sf sdf
Author
PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC is not bound by recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, or presidential directives in that regard, according to authoritative sources.
They said that the AG couldn’t under any circumstances initiate legal proceedings until he had received the full PCoI report.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa received the PCoI report on Feb 1. The President’s Office delivered a set of PCoI reports to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Feb 23, a day after the report was presented to the cabinet of ministers. The Island raised the matter with relevant authorities in the wake of a section of the media reporting the PCoI recommending punitive measures against former President Maithripala Sirisena, Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, IGP Pujitha Jayasundera, Chief of State Intelligence Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, Chief of National Intelligence retired DIG Sisira Mendis and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader and Samagi Jana Balavegaya MP Rishad Bathiudeen et al over the Easter Sunday carnage.
Sources pointed out that due to the inordinate delay in sharing the PCoI report with the AG, the department hadn’t been able to take preliminary measures required to initiate the proceedings. Sources said that a team of officers would take at least six weeks or more to examine the report before tangible measures could be taken.
With the AG scheduled to retire on May 24, 2021, even if the AG Department received the P CoI it would be quite a tough task to initiate proceedings ahead of retirement, sources said. However, in terms of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in last October, both the AG and the IGP could receive extensions beyond 60 at the President’s discretion.
Dappula de Livera received an Acting appointment as the AG a week after the Easter Sunday carnage whereas his predecessor Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, was elevated to Chief Justice.
Responding to another query, sources said that the Attorney General two weeks ago requested Secretary to the President for a copy of the P CoI. However, the AG was yet to receive one, sources said. In spite of the AG not receiving a P CoI copy, the AG had instructed the IGP to obtain a copy of the report when he requested the police to complete investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage. The AG issued specific instructions after having examined police files pertaining to the investigations.
The IGP, too, hadn’t received a copy so far though some sections of the report were in the public domain.
Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage displayed at a live political programme on Derana a copy of the P CoI report he received at the cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
Sources said that the Attorney General’s Department couldn’t decide on a course of action in respect of the Easter carnage on the basis of a section of the report. In terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Section 24), the AG enjoyed significant powers/authority in respect of investigations; sources said adding that the Department urgently required both the P CoI report and police investigations report. The Attorney General’s Department has raised the delay in receiving a P CoI report amidst the Catholic Church attacking the government over the same issue.
Sources said that ministerial committee appointed to study the P CoI report couldn’t decide on how to proceed with the recommendations and the matter was entirely in the hands of the AG. Sources pointed out that the delay on the part of the government to release the report had received the attention of sections of the international media, including the New York Times. Public Security Minister retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera having met Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Bishop’s House on Dec 8, 2020 said that the AG would get a copy of the P CoI report once the President received it. Minister Weerasekera said that the CID had handed over the relevant files after having completed investigations into eight blasts. Referring to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report on the Easter Sunday carnage, the former Navy Chief of Staff said that all such documents would have to be brought to one place and considered before initiating legal proceedings. Acknowledging that there could be delays, lawmaker Weerasekera said that on the instructions of the Attorney General a 12-member team of lawyers was working on the case. The minister vowed to expose the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Investigations continued while some of those wanted were overseas, the minister said.
The minister acknowledged that the Attorney General couldn’t proceed without the P CoI report. Minister Weerasekera reiterated that once the President received the P CoI report, it would be sent to the Attorney General. The minister said that there were documents two to three feet high that needed scrutiny. The minister assured comprehensive investigation. The minister said that investigations pertaining to eight blasts had been completed and the reports handed over to the AG. However, the Attorney General had found shortcomings in those investigations.
Author
By Saman Indrajith
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday bombings had failed to identify the mastermind of , the JVP said yesterday.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the PCoI report had levelled accusations against former President Maithripala Sirisena, former IGP and head of intelligence for their dereliction of duty, shirking of responsibilities and not taking action to prevent the attacks and negligence. There were reference to the causes of the terror attacks and actions to be taken to avoid such attacks and the influence of extremist organisations. “However, there is no mention of the mastermind of the attacks, the handlers of the attackers and those whose interests the carnage served. It is also not mentioned whether there has been any foreign or local organisation behind those attacks. As per the PCoI report the attack took place as a result of culmination of extremism.
“According to the PCoI the extremist activities were a result of the prevailing political situation then. The entire nation was waiting to see who was responsible and who masterminded those attacks. The PCoI has failed to identify the true culprits responsible for the terror attacks. The report says that the leader of the suicide cadres killed himself in the attacks and it was a puzzle. That means those who are actually responsible for the attacks are still at large. The report does not provide exact details of the sources of the attacks. The PCoI had sittings for one year and five months. It summoned various persons and got their statements but it has failed to shed any light on the terror attacks. Everybody knows that the top leaders of the government and heads of security and intelligence establishments failed in their duties. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the second in command and he too is bound by the responsibility but the PCoI report fails to identify him as one of the persons against whom legal action should be instituted. The PCoI has treated Wickremesinghe and former President Maithripala Sirisena differently. We are not telling that this report is a total failure but we cannot accept this as a complete report. The PCoI handed over its report to the President on Feb 1. After 23 days it was sent to Parliament. Now, a copy of the report is there in the parliamentary library for the perusal of MPs.”
Herath said that the PCoI did not have powers to take punitive action. “It only has powers to name those responsible and recommend action to be taken against those named.
