CBC holds exhibition on “Voter Registration – The First Step of Democracy” in Pune
Pune: A multimedia exhibition on the theme “Voter Registration – The First Step of Democracy” highlighting the significance of participating in the electoral process as a voter and showcasing the grandeur of Indian elections, was inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey at Savitribai Phule Pune University in Maharashtra today.
The three-day exhibition organized by the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in association with the District Election Officer, Pune, is a voter awareness-building exercise being undertaken on the occasion of the nation-wide launch of Special Summary Revision 2023 today.
The DEO Pune has also set up special registration camps to enroll young voters at the exhibition venue. The topic of Indian Elections and Voters Registration have been highlighted through CBC’s Virtual Reality kiosks displaying polling stations, Flipbook on the Indian Election, an Augmented Reality touch wall, a Digital display of SSR 2023 forms, and a sound show on election stories, apart from a separate section on ECI new initiatives, display of SVEEP scopes and a wall on Indian Democracy. Also, the song and drama artists of CBC put up colorful performances on the ECI theme of “No Voter To Be Left Behind”.
Speaking on the occasion, the CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar praised CBC for the colorful exhibition mounted up by them. He stated that even in this age of social media, CBC outreach activities are an extremely powerful medium of communication. He said that the country’s rich cultural heritage of folk music – lok sangeet and lok katha is so varied and wide that it will take years to go through them all. These cultural tools keep the country united like a binding force, he added. The CEC also stated that CBC exhibitions and folk performances can always be useful for Election Commission in their voter awareness campaigns.
In his message to the youth of the country, the CEC urged them to become voters as it is critical for a democracy. “Look at the demography of this country. Look at this huge country in which we believe in accommodation, we believe in discussion, and we believe in resolving all our issues through participative elections. And that is possible only when we vote”. Power also transits through the tremendous force of the ballot seamlessly, he added. Election gives us continuity of the system and the resilience which the youth and society have, he said.
Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey said that Pune is a cultural center of India and Pune University has a rich history associated with the names of luminaries like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Hence the Election Commission decided the start the voter awareness campaign on the launch of SSR 2023 from Pune.
Pandey stated that India is the biggest democracy having a demography that is bigger than the whole of Europe, and North and South America. He added that democracy is strengthened when all eligible voters are registered, voters can exercise their franchise fearlessly and elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. He informed that at the time of independence there was only around 16 percent literacy in the country, yet people went to vote. Our first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad had said that the country’s people know to exercise their democratic rights. He further added that India is the strongest democracy having universal adult suffrage, where women outnumber men in casting votes in many places. Stating that India has a high percentage of young population, he said, this democracy can be strengthened only with higher number of young eligible voters registration. Hence, the Commission's goal is to see that no young voter is left behind, he further stated.
CBC's Additional Director General Smt. Ranjana Dev Sarmah delivered the welcome address. Smt. Sarmah stated that CBC has been an integral part of the communication and outreach campaigns of the Election Commission of India through its regional and field activities under the Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation programs. With its field offices at around 150 locations across the country, the CBC has closely worked with the ECI for various communication campaigns in the country. From its folk artist troupes and field officers camping in remote villages to make the citizens of this country aware of their rights and responsibilities, to organizing campaigns using well-advanced technological components to reach out to the young masses, the CBC has used all its resources to spread the message to the last mile, she added.
DVDs of "First Ink", the award-winning docu-film produced in-house by the Films Division was presented to the CEC by the director K.S. Shridhar. The film is about the life of the Late S. S. Negi, the first voter from Himachal Pradesh, who recently passed away. It is being showcased at the multi-media exhibition in Pune as a tribute to Late Shri Negi.
The CEC and EC took a round of the displays and also interacted with the young voters present on the occasion, to motivate them to get registered as voters and participate in the electoral process. Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra Shri Srikant Deshpande, and District Election Officer, Pune Dr. Rajesh Deshmukh were also present on the occasion. Savitribai Phule Pune University's VC Prof. (Dr.) Kalbhari Kale was also present amongst the dignitaries.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
