EC introduces new system to ensure voter I-cards are delivered within 15 days
New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI): The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday said voter identity cards will now be delivered to electors within 15 days, virtually halving the time taken.
Till now, it took a little over a month for the Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to be delivered to the voters, officials pointed out.
The EC said a new standard operating procedure (SOP) has been introduced to ensure that voter cards are delivered within 15 days of new enrolment of an elector or change in particulars of an existing voter.
The new system will ensure real-time tracking of each stage right from the EPIC generation by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) till the delivery of the card to the elector through the Department of Posts (DoP), the poll authority said.
The electors will also receive notifications via SMS at each stage, keeping them informed about the status of their EPIC, it noted.
For this purpose, the EC has introduced a dedicated IT module on its recently launched ECINet platform.
The new IT platform will replace the existing process by re-engineering the current system and streamlining the workflow.
The DoP's Application Programme Interface (API) will be integrated with the ECINet for seamless delivery, the EC said.
This initiative aims to enhance service delivery while maintaining data security. In the past four months, the Commission has taken various initiatives for the benefit of electors and other stakeholders.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
