No democracy can be meaningful unless it is inclusive for all: CEC Rajiv Kumar
New Delhi, Aug 11: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Thursday said no democracy can ever be meaningful and aspirational unless it is inclusive for all citizens, accessible without fear or favour and participative despite differential social, political, and economic vulnerabilities.
Kumar also asserted that the framework for assessment and "so-called ranking" of democracies by global evaluating agencies should be objective and contextual, factoring in the magnitude, socio-cultural and geographical context in which each country and election management bodies function.
Referring to holding elections in India, he said India has witnessed a 235.72 per cent increase in female electors since the 1971 elections.
Kumar made these remarks while delivering his keynote address at the virtual meet of the Asian Regional Forum on the theme Making our Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative .
The CEC exhorted all election management bodies for a continuous self-evaluation and strengthening of their systems to meet the rising expectations from citizens and deal with the emerging challenges during the electoral process, the poll panel said in a statement.
Addressing the event, Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey said issues of accessibility are universal and most marginalized groups face barriers to their participation in elections which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
