Press Note
The Election Commission of
India (ECI) had started the scheme of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) in
the year 1993 to prevent impersonation at the time of polls. Another
decision taken by the Commission in this direction in the year 2004 was to
print Photo Electoral Rolls (PERs). Coverage of both EPICs and Photographs in
the Electoral Rolls has increased significantly in the last few years. At
present the All India coverage of EPICs is approximately 82% and Photo images
in the Electoral Rolls is approximately 77%.
The Commission has decided that a concerted effort should be made to
achieve 100% EPIC coverage and Photo coverage in Electoral Rolls by the end of
the current year. Detailed discussions
were held with all CEOs on this issue at the Chief Electoral Officers’
Conference in Jaisalmer during the month of February, 2010. A working group of
CEOs was constituted for this purpose. On the recommendations of the Working
Group, the Commission issued instructions to Chief Electoral Officers of all
States/ UTs on 22nd March 2010 for achieving 100% EPIC and Photo
coverage in Electoral Rolls by the end of 2010, which were as follows:
i) Prepare
an analytical paper on EPIC and PER coverage in the State. The paper should
include strategies which have been decided by the Commission and are to be
followed by the States/UTs to achieve 100% EPIC and PER coverage by the end of
year 2010 like:
a) Issue of State Govt./UT Admn. order
on payment of incentive to BLOs consequent to Commission’s letter.
b) Ensuring that BLOs for each
Part are appointed in accordance with the Directions of the Commission.
c) Names & phone numbers of
BLOs to be put on CEO’s website.
d) Schedule for Training of BLOs
to be prepared.
e) Organizing meeting of DEOs at
State/UT level.
f) Organizing meeting of EROs at
State/Division/District/Regional level.
g) Analysis of Rolls to identify
Polling Stations with very low coverage of EPIC, Polling Stations with >90%
coverage of EPIC & “last mile” problems and Polling Stations having other
problems relating to EPIC and PER coverage.
h) Preparation of Paper on Special
strategies to be adopted for low coverage areas, last mile problems and any
other special problems.
i) Setting up Co-ordination
mechanism with Govt. Departments having other Photo-databases like NREGA.
j) Setting up co-ordination
mechanism with Director of Census of the State/UT.
k) Setting up monitoring
mechanism at all levels in the State/UT.
l) Conducting Photography Campaign to
capture/collect photographs of those electors who do not have their photos yet
on the PER.
m) Conversion of images into
binary data and merging them into E-Detail Table.
n) Generation of EPICs of residual
electors including new electors.
o)
Distribution of generated EPICs to electors.
ii)
Prepare
a schedule of activities in the prescribed Format and send it for approval of
the Commission by 31st March, 2010.
iii)
Put
in place a mechanism to monitor polling station-wise progress so that an early
corrective action may be taken if some districts are lagging behind.
Chief
Electoral Officers have been asked to furnish a fortnightly progress report to
the Commission on the maximization of photos in the roll. A web based
application has also been launched for keeping the Commission abreast of the
position.
The
Commission appeals to people in general, who are having their names enrolled in
the electoral rolls but do not have their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to
avail the benefits of the present efforts and come forward to get the EPIC
made. Special facilities have been provided now-a-days in their State/UT for
generation/distribution of EPIC. They may visit the offices of the EROs/AEROs
or Special Centres set up for registration of electors/ EPIC making at the
earliest and submit photographs/ get photographed for the purpose of obtaining
an EPIC. They may also avail the facility of the door-to-door campaign by BLOs
to make sure that their photos and other details are correctly reflected in the
electoral roll, and also EPICs are issued to them, if not already done.
Election Commission of India
New
Delhi, 26th Chaitra, 1932, 16th April, 2010
RM/JL