3 H1N1 cases traced in Kodagu: Advise to take precautions
Madikeri, October 20: Out of five suspected H1N1 virus cases till October 17 this year in the district, three cases were tested positive, district surveillance officer Dr. M. Shivakumar said.
Appealing the people to take care against spreading the virus, the officer said that if the people come across symptoms like severe fever, cough, and yellow colour mucus, cold, throat infection, dysentery and vomit, they should immediately visit the hospitals. H1N1 influenza would spread like a normal fever. But severe body pain and respiratory problem were the perfect symptoms of the disease. When the afflicted persons sneeze and cough, the virus would spread. The virus could also spread due to non-hygienic condition. Based on the guidelines of the government, laboratory tests would be conducted for severe cases, he said.
Sufficient medicine was ready for treating the disease in the district, he added.
“H1N1 influenza would spread from virus. There was no relationship between the H1N1 influenza and pigs. The disease would not spread by rearing pigs or eating pig meat. This disease spread between human beings only”.
- Dr. M. Shivakumar, District Surveillance Officer
Precautionary measures
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Use handkerchief or tissue paper while sneezing or coughing to avoid spreading of H1N1 virus. -
Wash hands with soaps, maintain hygiene and wear clean clothes. -
Take rest if suffering from virus and take nutritious food. -
Take care of children from being afflicted from the virus. -
Don’t send children to schools and allow them to take rest at home. -
Keep away from congestions. -
Call 104 helpline for more information about H1N1.
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Citizens’ Collective launches national campaign, urges EC to ensure electoral transparency
New Delhi: A collective of concerned citizens, civil society organisations, and technical experts has launched a nationwide campaign for accountability in the electoral process, raising serious concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the lack of transparency in the conduct of elections.
Coordinated by the platform ‘Vote for Democracy,’ the group has submitted a detailed memorandum to the ECI, reiterating six key demands aimed at restoring public faith in the electoral system. The memorandum comes in the wake of mounting scepticism around the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and allegations of procedural manipulation, particularly after recent elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi.
Among the central questions posed in the memorandum are:
- Why are the complete past and present voters’ lists not available in a searchable database on the ECI website?
- Why are Forms 17C, which record the number of votes polled, and other aggregate voter count data not publicly accessible in a digital format?
- Why is there no transparency in publishing Forms 9, 10, 11, 11A, and 11B that document additions and deletions in the voter rolls?
- Why is the EVM source code not open for public inspection to ensure software integrity?
- Why is there no full disclosure of Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) contents with oversight from independent technical experts?
- Why are VVPAT slips not counted in their entirety, and why can voters not verify and deposit the slips themselves?
The group has termed India’s current electronic voting system as semi-automated and riddled with vulnerabilities, demanding immediate systemic reforms. The six specific demands include:
1. Making all voter rolls—past and present—searchable and publicly accessible online.
2. Publishing Form 17C data from each booth and constituency in a searchable format.
3. Releasing Forms 9, 10, 11, 11A, and 11B detailing voter roll revisions.
4. Making the EVM source code open-source for public and expert scrutiny.
5. Publishing SLU contents and allowing monitoring by independent technical experts.
6. Restoring the integrity of the voting process by allowing voters to physically verify and deposit their VVPAT slips, followed by 100% slip counting. Final vote tallies, they argue, should be based solely on these physical paper records.
The memorandum, endorsed by 83 prominent individuals including former civil servants, judges, computer scientists, journalists, and grassroots activists, highlights concerns over the increasing opacity in electoral procedures. Among the signatories are MG Devasahayam, former IAS and Army officer; computer science experts Madhav Deshpande and Professor Harish Karnick; Justice D. Hariparanthaman and Justice B.G. Kolse Patil (retired High Court judges); Aruna Roy (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan); Venkatesh Nayak (CHRI); Anjali Bhardwaj; E.A.S. Sarma, IAS (Retd); Teesta Setalvad; Prashant Tandon; and Raju Parulekar.
The signatories cited a recent CSDS survey that shows only 28% of Indians trust the ECI today, indicating serious democratic backsliding. They criticised the Commission’s perceived closeness to the political executive and its reluctance to act against violations of the Model Code of Conduct, including hate speech during elections.
During a recent three-hour national consultation with people’s organisations and civil society groups, participants highlighted the urgent need for systemic reform and greater transparency. State-wide consultations with expert committees are expected to follow.
Participants raised serious concerns over the integrity of voter rolls. In Maharashtra alone, 37 lakh new voters were reportedly added in the five months leading up to elections, without a credible explanation from the ECI. Similar concerns about large-scale voter additions and deletions have been flagged in states like Haryana, Delhi, and West Bengal.
The campaign aims to create national consensus around the need to replace EVMs with paper ballots, citing growing public mistrust. It seeks to address all facets of electoral conduct, from the misuse of the Model Code to the manipulation of voter lists, demanding a level playing field for all political actors.
The memorandum calls on the Election Commission to open itself to dialogue with citizens, technical experts, and political stakeholders. It warns that continued silence or inaction will deepen the erosion of public confidence in India’s democratic institutions.
The nationwide campaign is being led by several prominent voices including MG Devasahayam (Citizens Commission on Elections) and Teesta Setalvad (Vote for Democracy). A detailed programme outlining the next steps of the campaign is expected to be released shortly.
