Patna: Launching Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC 2.0), Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday underlined the need to familiarise students and young electors with India’s electoral system, democratic values and the functioning of ECI.
Speaking at a conference on the “Electoral Literacy Clubs and ECINet” held at Gyan Bhawan in Patna, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that educational institutions can play a big role in strengthening trust in electoral processes, boosting electoral literacy and promoting informed democratic participation.
The CEC also shed light on how elections in India are held strictly as per the Constitution, law and instructions issued by ECI and conducted transparently under the concurrent audit of political parties, candidates and their representatives at all stages.
He said there is a need to familiarise students and young electors with India’s electoral system, democratic values, electoral registration, polling and counting processes, and the role and functioning of the ECI.
Emphasising the importance of engaging young citizens, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that their trust and informed participation in the electoral process is an investment in the future of democracy.
A new logo of the Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) was also unveiled on the occasion, said an official statement.
The new tagline, “Learn Democracy. Lead Democracy”, reinforces the objective of encouraging young and first-time voters not only to understand democracy but also to participate meaningfully and contribute to its progress, it said.
Earlier in a programme, the CEC held a meeting with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at the Rajgir International Convention Centre, Nalanda.
During his two-day visit to Bihar on August 16-17, the CEC also undertook field visits in Madhubani, Vaishali and Nalanda.
ELC 2.0 reimagines Electoral Literacy Clubs as structured, visible and digitally enabled platforms across schools, colleges and universities. The initiative envisages continuous, year-round activities to promote electoral literacy among young citizens and electoral awareness within their families, educational institutions and communities.
ELC 2.0 will leverage the extensive ECINet digital platform, which provides all election-related services from roll to poll at the click of a button. A streamlined pan-India network of ELCs will be cultivated using a dedicated ELC portal on ECINet, the statement said.
The initiative assumes significance in view of India’s extensive educational ecosystem comprising approximately 15 lakh schools with nearly 25 crore students and over 1 crore teachers. The higher education sector comprises nearly 1,500 universities and around 70,000 educational institutions, with an estimated enrolment of 4.33 crore students, the statement said.
(IANS)
