Bengaluru: The Election Commission of India is keeping a close watch on all social media to ensure politicians do not act in violation of the model code of conduct.
The commission has hired able allies in civil society members and students who care for the democratic process to keep a watch on the virtual space and ensure the campaign for the May 12 election complies with the code.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer Surya Sen A V said DH several concerned citizens and students were scanning through social media posts for poll code violations.
"Right now, we have about 10-15 students in Bengaluru working with us. Members of the civil society who care about the elections are also volunteering. At the district level, deputy commissioners are also involved," he said.
The commission recruited the volunteers after doing a background check to ensure they are neutral and are people of integrity, Sen said. The chosen volunteers were given a half-day training.
"We are looking out for everything from coupons and promo codes to bitcoins since everyone is now tech-savvy. We also look out for hate speech and messages," Sen said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
