Here’s what minimum assured facilities will be provided for voters at polling station on voting days
In a communication sent to the Chief Election Officers, the Election Commission of India has directed that Minimum Assured Facilities shall be provided at all polling stations. The communication has an elaborate list of facilities that needs to be mandatorily provided to the voters at the polling booths on the day of voting by Chief Election officers of state and union territories.
The basic minimum facilities that electors will be facilitated with are as follows:
- Provision for Drinking Water: There should be a proper arrangement for drinking water facilities at the polling station and one employee shall be deployed at the polling station(s) to refill the water pots and to serve water to the voters standing in the queue.
- Adequate Furniture- There should be proper provision for basic amenities like tables, chairs and benches for voters standing in the queue at the polling stations.
- Provision for ramp- A ramp of slope 1:10 or less should be provided at the polling station to facilitate the PwD (Persons with Disabilities) voters, as per the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of lndia. ln the polling stations where permanent ramps have not been provided, temporary ramp should be provided.
- Medical Kit - A Medical Kit containing Paracetamol medicine & items like gauze pads wound cleaning agent/scissors along with a medical attendant should be made available at each polling station for emergency use of voters.
- Help Desk- ln the polling station locations having multiple polling stations, a help desk should be set up with the objective of providing assistance to the voter, facilitating the voters to locate their particular polling station and issuance of voter slips. The Help Desk should be manned by Booth Level Officer (BLO).
- Toilets- There should be separate toilet for men and women voters. If two toilets are not available, pucca one should be earmarked for female voters and one temporary toilet be provided for male voters. One employee shall be deployed to keep the toilet clean throughout the day.
- Provision for Creche for children- There should be proper arrangement for creche at each polling station for children accompanying the electors. One trained attendant should be deployed to take care of these children.
- Queue Management: There should be three queues at the polling station: one for male voters, one for ladies voters and another for senior citizens and PwD electors. As per present practice, one male elector should be allowed to vote per two female electors. Preference should be given to senior citizens and PwD electors.
With India conducting the world history’s biggest election with over 900 million eligible voters and 1.035 million polling stations across the country, it will not be a piece of cake for the Election Commission of India to provide these facilities at every polling station. However, it will be important to see how many of these Assured Minimum Facilities are provided by the authorities.
Do let us know in the comment box how many of these Assured Minimum Facilities were provided at your local polling booth and what you thought or believe was missing at your booth.
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Min. Priyank Kharge to expresses concern over implementation of VB-G Ram G
Bengaluru: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the proposed VB-G Ram G scheme, stating that the MNREGA programme, which has been a lifeline for rural India for nearly two decades, appears to be facing an uncertain future.
Speaking to media, Kharge said that as March 31 draws to a close, there is no clarity on the rollout of the new scheme from April 1. He pointed out that the central government has not yet issued the necessary guidelines for implementing the scheme for rural workers and villages.
He criticised the Centre for its lack of preparedness, stating that there is no clarity on fund allocation, no final parameters for classifying gram panchayats, and key processes such as social audits have not been defined.
Kharge said the situation comes at a critical time, as summer marks a peak period for rural employment demand, when many people depend heavily on wage employment for their livelihood.
He added that reports have emerged of delays in approvals and families not receiving work despite demand.
He further alleged that the Centre’s move to shift from a statutory employment guarantee to a rule-based allocation system is already showing negative consequences.
Kharge also raised concerns over provisions such as a mandatory 60-day halt during agricultural seasons, which he said would further limit employment opportunities for rural workers.
The BJP-led central government had claimed that the new scheme would transform rural India, but in reality it is turning out to be detrimental to people’s livelihoods, he said.
“The crisis in rural India due to the stalling of MNREGA is beginning to unfold. Given the Centre’s past record in handling such situations, there is growing concern over the impact on rural livelihoods,” Kharge said.
