Awareness Programme on EVMs and VVPATs

Context: 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) begins a nationwide awareness programme on EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Election.

ECI Begins a Aation-Wide Awareness Programme on EVMs and VVPATs Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections 

• Reach: The programme includes outreach and awareness activities in 3464 Assembly Constituencies spread across 613 Districts in 31 States/UTs.
• State Chief Electoral Officers need to start a focussed awareness campaign approximately 3 months prior to the announcement of election.The campaign shall have three components:
  •  EVM Demonstration Centers (EDC)
  •  Mobile Demonstration Vans (MDV)
  •  Digital outreach

EVM Vs VVPAT

• EVM Machine Or Electronic Voting Machine:

• • Design: It comprises two units: the control unit and the balloting unit. 
    • These units are joined together by a cable. The control unit of the EVM is kept with the presiding officer and the balloting unit is kept within the voting compartment for electors to cast their votes.
  • History: It was used in 1982 Kerala elections  on a pilot basis and  The 2004 Lok Sabha election was conducted completely using EVMs
  •  Legal Sanction: Section 61A was included in the Representation of the People Act 1951, empowering the ECI 
  • Manufacturer:  Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL), Bangalore, a Defence Ministry PSU, was elected along with ECIL to manufacture the EVM.

EVM Machine

• VVPAT Or Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail

• • It is a system attached to EVMs and works  by printing a paper slip containing the serial number, name, and symbol of a candidate for whom a vote has been cast.
  • After being visible for seven seconds through a transparent window, the printed slip is automatically cut and drops in.
  • It was first used in the Noksen constituency in Nagaland in 2013 and used at an all India level in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
  • VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only.

VVPAT Machine

Also Read: Simultaneous Elections

News Source: PIB

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