PM's remarks at opening session of Governors' Conference

PM's remarks at opening session of Governors' Conference

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today spoke at the opening session of the
Conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
He observed that all Governors can become catalytic agents for change in society,
while upholding the sanctity of the Constitution. Mentioning the target of New India
by 2022, the Prime Minister emphasized that this can be achieved only by making it a
people's movement.
He encouraged Governors to interact at length with students and teachers in this
regard. Giving the example of the recent Hackathon conducted by the Union
Government, where students had proposed technology solutions to several problems,
he said Universities should be centres of innovation.
In the same vein, he said youth in every State must focus on one sport. He encouraged
Governors to lead by example on the cause of Swachhata, or cleanliness. He said
Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated in 2019, is a
source of inspiration, as we work towards an Open Defecation Free India. The Prime
Minister said that festivals and anniversaries can be great motivators and energizers in
the quest for change. He said that Governors can also motivate banks to give loans
under Mudra to tribals, Dalits and women, especially in the period between
Constitution Day on November 26th, and Ambedkar Mahaparinirvana Diwas on
December 6th.
The Prime Minister encouraged Lt. Governors of Union Territories to share the best
practices being adopted by them in areas such as solar energy, DBT, and making
Union Territories kerosene free. He said these achievements must be extended across
all Union Territories speedily.
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Schedule for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh The term of the Legislative Assembly of Himachal Pradesh is normally due to expire as follows:

Himachal Pradesh 07.01.2018
By virtue of its powers, duties and functions
under Article 324 read with Article 172(1) of
the Constitution of Indiaand Section 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Com
mission is required to hold general election toconstitute the new Legislative Assembly
in the State of Himachal Pradesh before expiry of its present term.
 (1)       Assembly Constituencies
 The total number of Assembly Constituencies
in the State of Himachal Pradesh and seats reserved for theScheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes, as determined by the Delimitation of Parliamentary and AssemblyConstitu
encies Order, 2008, are as under: -
 State Total No. of ACs Reserved for SCs Reserved for STs
Himachal Pradesh 68 17 3
  (2)      Electoral Rolls The    electoral rolls    of    all    the existing Assembly Constituencies in the State of Himach
al Pradesh are beingrevised, with reference to 01.01.2017 as the
qualifying date. The dates of publication of the Final Rolls are indicated in the Table below and
the details of the final publication will be made available on the ECI website. As per the
draft rolls, thenumbers of electors in the states are as follows:
   State Total No. of Electors in Draft Rolls- 2017 on 01/07/2017 w.r.t. 01/01/2017 as qualifying date
 Total no of Electors as per Final Roll on 15/09/2017
Himachal Pradesh 4827644 (48.27 Lac) 4905677 (49.05 Lac)
 (a)               Improvement in the health of the electoral rolls: The Commission firmly believes
that pure
andupdated electoral rolls are the foundation of free, fair and credible
election and intensive and sustainedfocus is laid on improving
their quality and fidelity. The Commission, after visiting the poll bound
state, had directed the State
election machinery to ensure a smooth, effective, accessible and time-
boundcompletion of Special Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls with
01.01.2017 as the qualifying date, soas to ensure that all eligible un-
enrolled electors in the State are duly registered.
Special efforts weremade to identify the critical gaps in the electoral rolls a
nd targeted SVEEP activities were carried outto address them.

The Commission has been constantly endeavouring to improve
the fidelity of electoral rolls by taking focused efforts for
maximization of registration of eligible electors and removing
the impurities in the rolls. In 2015, the Commission has
launched a nationwide comprehensive programme, namely,
NERPAP with an objective of bringing an error free and
authenticated electoral roll. A similar programme called as
NERP, 2016 was organized with the objectives of
improvements of health of electoral roll and standardization of
sections, polling station and part boundaries.

This year, in tune with the theme of ‘No’ voters to be left
behind’ the Commission utilized the period of continuous
updation, for maximization of enrolment of young electors
particularly 18-19 age group and removal of entries of
registered dead voters.

Special Initiatives taken in Himachal Pradesh:
Second Special Summary Revision 2017 was organized in Himachal
Pradesh  from 1 st  July, 2017 to 15 th  September, 2017 during which 1.25
Lac no. of voters name have been added in the electoral rolls while 47,214
names have been deleted through form-7 after following the procedure of
issuing notices.

Special drive to enroll left out voters was organized from 16 th  -
30 th  September, 2017 in which BLOs have visited house to house of every
family in the area and as a result total of 74885 new voters name have
been added in the Electoral Roll in the State out of which 20437 new
voters are belonging to 18-19 year age group.


(b)     Photo Electoral Rolls


Photo Electoral Rolls will be used during this General Election and photo percentages
in Photo Electoral Rolls of this State is 100%.


(c)     Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC)


Identification of the voters at the polling booth at the time of poll shall be
mandatory.

Electors who have beenprovided with EPIC shall be identified through EPIC. Presently,
the EPIC coverage in this State is as under:-





State Percentage of EPIC
Himachal Pradesh 100%



All the residual electors are advised to obtain their Elector Photo Identity Cards from
the ElectoralRegistration Officers of their Assembly Constituencies, urgently.



In order to ensure that no voter is deprived of his/her franchise, if his/her name
figures in the Electoral Rolls, separate instructions will be issued to allow
additional documents for identification of voters,
if needed. Adhaar Card has also been included
as an additional document for establishing the identity of voters at thePolling Statio
ns.


(d)     Photo Voter Slips


To facilitate the voters to know where he/she is enrolled as a voter at a particular
polling station and whatis his/her serial number in the Electoral roll, the Commissi
on has directed that official voter slip bearing thePhoto of the elector
(wherever present in the roll) will be distributed atleast 7 days before the date
of poll to all enrolled voters by the District Election Officer
and a very close and rigorous monitoring of thedistribution process shall be
done by the DEO and General Observer concerned. The size, design and format of
the Photo Voter Slip has also been substantially
improved to enhance its utility and effectiveness in voteridentification, awaren
ess and guidance by increasing the size of the image, providing
additional information
along with polling station Nazri Naksha on the reverse of the slip and improve
ment
in the quality ofprinting. It has also been directed that the said voter slip should
be in the languages in which
electoral roll ispublished for that Assembly Constituency. The Commission has
laid a special emphasis on the systematic, efficient and timely distribution of the
Photo Voter Slips through the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are
under strict instructions to hand over the voter slip to the
elector concerned only and not to any
other person.The BLOs shall also maintain a Pre-Printed Register of Voters
and take the signatures/thumb impression ofperson to whom the Photo Voter Sl
ip is delivered.

The residual undistributed Voter Slips shall be returned by the BLO to the concerned
ERO, who shall keepthe same in a sealed cover after making an alphabetical lis
t of the undistributed PVS in respect
of eachPart/polling station. Two copies of such
alphabetical lists shall be handed over to the RO of the concernedconstituency, w

hile sealed
cover of undistributed photo voter slips shall remain in safe custody with the
ERO.No further distribution of photo voter slips shall be done after the same
are returned to the ERO.


(e)     Voter Guide Brochure:


In this election, a Voter Guide Brochure (in local languages) shall be handed over to ever
y householdahead of the elections, giving information about the date
and time of polls, contact details of the
BLOs,important websites, helpline numbers, documents required for
identification at the polling station besides other important
information including the Do’s and Dont’s for voters at the polling station. This
Voter GuideBrochure will be distributed along with
the Photo Voter Slips by the BLOs.


(3)       Polling Stations and Special Facilitation

The number of Polling Stations of Himachal Pradesh are as follows:


State

No. of Polling
Stations in 2012

No. of Polling
Stations in 2017

% Increase

Himachal
Pradesh

7252 7479 3.13%


(a)     Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) at Polling Stations:


The Commission has upgraded the status of facilities at the Polling Stations from the
earlier concept of BasicMinimum Facilities (BMF) to Assured
Minimum Facilities (AMF). Accordingly, instructions have been issued to the
Chief Electoral Officers of all
these States to ensure that every Polling Station is equipped withAssured Minim
um Facilities (AMF)
like drinking water, shed, toilet, ramp for the physically challengedvoters, a stand
ard voting compartment etc. for the convenience and facilitation of voters.
(b)       Facilitation for PWDs
The Commission has issued instructions to ensure that as far as practicable, all polling stations
 are locatedat ground floor and sturdy ramps are provided for the convenience of
differently-abled electors  with  wheel-
chairs. Further, in  order to  provide targeted  and  need-
based facilitation to differently-abled voters, theCommission has directed that
all Persons With Disabilities (PwDs) in an Assembly Constituency are identified
and tagged to their respective Polling Stations and necessary disability-specific
arrangements madefor their smooth and convenient voting experience on the
poll day. Identified PWDs will be assisted by volunteers appointed by RO/DEO.
Special facilitation will be made for PWDs electors at Polling
Stations.Also, it has been directed that differently-
abled electors are given priority for entering polling booths, provisionmade for des

ignated parking spaces close to the entrance of polling premise and special care to
be provided toelectors with
speech and hearing impairment. Special focus has been laid for the sensitization
of the polling personnel regarding the unique needs of the differently-abled.

(c)  Assured Minimum Facility Polling Stations:


In order to enhance the quality of voting experience for the esteemed electors, both
in terms of the ease andcomfort of voting, as well as their constructive
association
with the voting process, the Commission hasdirected that, as far as practicable, Mo
del Polling Stations shall be set up in all the constituencies
of the pollbound states. The
Model Polling Stations envision the enhancement in electoral participation experie
nce ofthe voters through a three-
pronged strategy of improved physical structure and facilities of pollingpremises
, systematic and hassle-free queue management and courteous and
polite behaviour and conduct ofthe polling personnel.



(d)     Voter Facilitation Posters:


In order to fulfill
the statutory requirements under Rule 31 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961
and toprovide accurate and relevant information for voter awareness and
information at each polling station, theCommission has also directed that unifo
rm and standardized Voter Facilitation Posters (VFP) shall be displayed on
all Polling
Stations for greater facilitation and awareness of the voters. A total of FOUR (4) Po
sters have been designed to capture voter-
cenrtic information relevant on the poll day like
details of the PollingBooth, polling area specified for that particular polling booth,
 list
of contesting candidates, contact details ofthe important election functionaries, list
 of prescribed identification documents, illustrative voting procedure, items
prohibited
around the polling booth and important Do’s and Dont’s to be observed on the poll
day.
TheCommission has directed that these four VFPs shall be prominently displayed
 ay each polling booth in thepoll-going States.


(e)     Voter Assistance Booths (VAB):


Voter Assistance
Booths shall be set up for every polling station location, having a team of
BLO/officials with the objective of facilitating the voter to locate his/her polling
booth number and serial
number of thatvoter in the electoral roll of that concerned
polling booth. The VABs will be set up with prominent signage

and in such a manner
that it will be conspicuous to the voters as they approach the polling premise/buildi
ng toenable them to seek required facilitation on the poll day.



(f)     Secrecy of Voting- Increase in Height of Standardized Voting Compartment:


In order to maintain the secrecy of vote at the time of poll and uniformity in use of voting
compartments, the Commission has issued revised instructions to increase the
height of the Voting Compartments to 30
inches. Ithas been, further, directed that the Voting Compartment
should be placed on a table whose height shall be 30inches and only corrugated
plastic sheet (flex-board) of steel-grey colour, which is completely opaque
andreusable, shall be used for making the voting compartments. The Commission
hopes that the use of thesestandardized and uniform Voting Compartments in
all
the polling booths will translate into greater voterfacilitation, enhance the secre
cy of vote and eliminate aberrations and non-uniformity
in the preparation ofVoting Compartment inside the polling booths.

            (4)        Special Arrangement For Women:


                 All-
Women Managed Polling Stations: As part of its firm commitment towards
gender equality andgreater constructive participation of women in the electoral
process, the Commission has also directed that, to theextent possible, ‘All-
 women Managed Polling Stations’ shall be set up in two polling stations
for eachAssembly Constituency where the entire polling staff, including the police a
nd security personnel, shall be women. Total 136 Women managed Polling Stations
will be setup for the entire state of Himachal Pradesh for the first time.

(5)        Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
(VVPATs):
The poll in the State will be conducted at all polling stations using EVMs and
VVPATs. The Commission hasalready made arrangements to ensure availability
of adequate number of EVMs and VVPATs for the smooth
conductof election. The First Level Check of EVMs and VVPATs has
been completed in the presence of representatives ofpolitical parties. A two-
stage randomization of EVMs and VVPATs will also be done. In the first stage, all the
EVMs and VVPATs stored in the district storage centre will be randomized by the
District Election Officer (DEO) in the presence of the representatives of
the recognized political parties for Assembly Constituency-wise allocation.Second
randomization of EVMs and VVPATs will be done at RO level before preparation of
EVMs and VVPATs for polling station-wise allocation. This is done in the presence of
Observer contesting candidates/their agents. EVMs and VVPATs will be prepared and
set for election after finalization of the contesting candidates, At this stage also,candidates
 or their
agents/representatives will be allowed to check and satisfy themselves in every manner a
bout the error-free functionality of the EVMs and VVPATs. On a pilot basis, VVPAT
from One (1) Polling Station in each Assembly Constituency will be randomly selected

to count VVPAT paper slips for verification of the result obtained from the Control Unit.
Thus paper slip for 68 polling stations will be counted in Himachal Pradesh.

(a)     Mock Poll: Mock poll was conducted in EVMs and VVPATs during the First
Level Checking in the presence of the representative of Political Parties. Mock
poll shall also be conducted in the presence of candidates/their agents during the
commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs. Further, on the poll
day, Mock Poll shall beconducted by the Presiding Officer at each Polling
Station before the commencement of actual polling in thepresence of the Polling
Agents set up by
the contesting candidates and a Certificate of successful conduct ofthe Mock Poll s
hall be made by the Presiding Officer.
Immediately after the conduct of Mock Poll, the CLEAR
Button shall be pressed on
the EVM to clear the data of the Mock Poll and the fact that no votes arerecorde
d in the Control Unit shall be displayed to the Polling
Agents present. The Commission has
issueddirections for ensuring proper training to all the polling personnel regardi
ng
the conduct of Mock Poll, aswell as to create awareness amongst the political part
ies,
contesting candidates, their polling agents and otherstakeholders about the Mock P
oll process.
(b)     None Of The Above (NOTA) In EVMs and
VVPATs: In its judgment dated 27th  September, 2013
inWrit Petition (C) No. 161 of 2004 (People’s Union for Civil Liberties Vs Uni
on of
India and another), theSupreme Court has directed that there should be a “None of t
he Above” (NOTA) option on the ballot papersand EVMs and VVPATs.

On the Balloting Unit, below the name of the last candidate, there will now be a button for NOTA
 option sothat electors who do not want to vote for any of the candidates
can exercise their option by pressing thebutton against NOTA.   The Commiss
ion
has provided a new symbol for the NOTA option, which wasdesigned by Nati
onal Institute of Design
(NID). This new symbol will facilitate the voters in casting of theirvotes.

NOTA Symbol

The Commission is taking steps to bring this to the knowledge of voters and all other
stakeholders
and totrain all field level officials including the polling personnel about
the provision of NOTA and its symbol.


(c)     VVPAT ( Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail)


VVPATs will be used along with EVMs in all the 68 Assembly Constituencies of
poll going state of Himachal Pradesh to enhance the transparency and credibility
of the election. A comprehensive SVEEP  programme has already
been launched in Himachal
Pradesh to increase voters’ awareness and education about the VVPATs.


(d)     Photographs Of Candidates On EVM Ballot Paper


In  order  to  facilitate  the  electors  in  identifying
the  candidates,  the  Commission has prescribed
anadditional measure by way of adding provision for printing the photograph
of candidate also on the ballot tobe displayed on the EVM (Ballot Unit)
and on Postal Ballot Papers. This will also take care to avoid likelyconfusion w
hen candidates with same or similar names
contest from the same constituency. For this purpose, the candidates
are required to submit to the Returning Officer, their recent Stamp Size
photograph as per thespecifications laid down by the Commission. Many of the
poll-bound states will be using the photograph ofthe candidates on the ballot
papers for the first time. Instructions have also been issued to ensure necessary
publicity of this instruction


(6)       Deployment of Polling Personnel And Randomization

Polling parties shall be formed randomly, through the special randomization IT
application. Three-
stagerandomization will be adopted. First, from a wider district database of eligible officials,
a shortlist of a minimum 120% of therequired numbers will be randomly picked up. This group
will
be trained for polling duties. In the second stage, from thistrained manpower, actual polling parti
es as required shall be formed by random selection software in the presence of
GeneralObservers. In
the third randomization, the polling stations will be allocated randomly to these polling parties j
ust
before thepolling party’s departure. There shall be such randomization for Police personnel and
Home Guards also, who are deployedat the polling stations on the poll day.

(7)       Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) for Service Voter:
         

            During De-Nevo registration of Service voters of various services have been uploaded in
xml files with details of Service voters and provisionally accepted cases have been published in
draft on 4 th  October, 2017. Election Commission of India has directed that Records Officers
shall upload all signed and authenticated forms by 13.10.2017 for all applications which have
been provisionally accepted so that they may be included in the final rolls.
            Further, to ensure maximum enrolment of service voters, a special drive have been
organized to include balance Service voters during continuous updation phase from 19 th  October
onwards for a fortnight period.
            Commission has implemented ETPBS on pilot basis in four states of Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur and in the entire state of Goa in the State Assembly
Elections conducted during Feb-March, 2017 and would extend it in ensuing Himachal
Assembly elections too.

 (8)      Affidavits Of candidates:

(a)               All Columns to be filled In: In pursuance of the judgment dated 13th September, 2013
passed by theSupreme Court in Writ Petition (C) No. 121 of 2008 (Resurgence India V
s Election Commission of Indiaand Another), which among other things mak
es it
obligatory for the Returning Officer “to check whetherthe information required is
 fully
furnished (by the candidate) at the time of filing of affidavit with thenomination pa
per”, the Commission has issued instructions that in the affidavit to be filed
along with the nomination paper, candidates are required to fill up all
columns.  If any column in the affidavit is left blank,the Returning Officer
will issue a notice to the candidate to file
the revised affidavit with all columns dulyfilled in. After such notice, if a candida
te still fails to file affidavit complete in all respects, the nomination paper will be
liable to
be rejected by the Returning Officer at the time of scrutiny.  The Chief Elector
alOfficers have been directed to brief all Returning Officers about the judgment
of the Supreme Court and theCommission’s instructions.


(b)     Additional Affidavit along with ‘No Demand Certificate’:


The Commission has, in pursuance to the Judgment of Hon’ble Delhi High Court in W.P.(C )
No.4912/1998
(KRISHAK BHARAT VS UNION OF INDIA AND ORS), directed
that at every elections toeither the House of Parliament or to the State Legislature
, every candidate, at the time of filing nomination paper, shall also file an
additional affidavit in the prescribed format along with the ‘No Demand
Certificate’ from the
agencies providing electricity, water and telephone with also rent, in case he
had
been inoccupation of any Government accommodation during the last 10 years. T
his Affidavit would be in additionto the affidavit required to be filed in Form-
26, and shall be got attested by an Oath Commissioner
or NotaryPublic or Magistrate of the First
Class. The outer limit for filing this Affidavit would be 3.00 PM on the lastdate of

 filing
nomination papers. It is also specified that failure to file the affidavit along with the
 ‘No
DemandCertificate’ would be treated as a defect of substantial nature for the purpo
ses of Section-36 of theRepresentation of People Act, 1951.


(c)     Introduction  of  additional  facility  of  E-
Filing  of  Candidate  Affidavits:  The
Commission hasprovided to the candidates an additional facility for online submiss
ion (e-filing) of their Affidavit. The candidate can go online to ECI website
(eci.nic.in) and can submit their affidavit online through any of theservices of
NIC or NSDL. Candidate need to take print out of the affidavit submitted online
and then get it notarized and submit it to Returning officer (RO). RO
is required to verify the
printed copy with thesubmission done by the candidate. Further, trained Electio
n Commission Return Preparers will beavailable in each district to assist candi
dates in e-
filing of affidavits and abstract statements and expenses onthe same will be borne
by the Commission.


(d)   Changes in the Format of Nomination Form:


Vide a notification dated 16th September, 2016 issued by the Ministry of Law &
Justice, Government
of India, the format of nomination paper (Forms 2A to 2E) has
been partially amended. In the new format,there is a requirement of affixing t
he photograph of the candidate and a provision has been inserted forthe  cand
idate to make a declaration that he/she
is a citizen of India and has not acquired citizenship of any other country.
The format of nomination papers has been further amended vide M/o Law
notification dated 16.09.2016.


(9)       District Election Management Plan (DEMP)

The District Election Officers
have been asked to prepare a comprehensive District Election Management Plan in
consultation with SSPs/SPs and Sector Officers, including the route plan and
communication plan for conduct of elections.These
plans will be vetted by the Observers taking into
account vulnerability mapping exercise and mapping of criticalpolling stations, in accordance
with Election Commission of India’s extant instructions.

(10)     Communication plan

The Commission attaches great importance to preparation and implementation of
a perfect
communication plan atthe district/constituency level for the smooth conduct of elections and t
o enable concurrent intervention and mid-
coursecorrection on the poll day.  For the said purpose,

the Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officer of HimachalPradesh to coordinate
with the officers of Telecommunication Department in the State headquarters,
BSNL/MTNLauthorities, the representatives of other leading service providers in
the States so that network status in the States isassessed and communication shadow areas be
identified.  The CEO has also been instructed to prepare the best communication plan in the
State and make suitable alternate arrangements in the communication shadow areas by providin
g Satellite Phones, Wireless sets, Special Runners etc.

(11)     Model Code of Conduct

The Model Code of Conduct comes into effect immediately from now onwards. All the
provisions
of theModel Code will apply to the whole of Himachal Pradesh and will be applicable to all ca
ndidates, political parties and, theState Government
of Himachal Pradesh. The Model Code of Conduct shall also be
applicable to the Union Governmentinsofar
as announcements/policy decisions pertaining to/for this State is concerned.

The Commission has made elaborate arrangements for ensuring the effective implementation
of the MCC Guidelines.
Any violations of these Guidelines would be strictly dealt with and the Commission re-
emphasizes that the instructions issued in this regard from time to time should
be read and understood by all Political Parties, contesting candidates and theiragents/representati
ves, to avoid any misgivings or lack of information
or inadequate understanding/interpretation. The governments of the poll-bound States have
also been directed to ensure that no misuse of official
machinery/position isdone during the MCC period.

The Commission has also issued instructions for swift, effective and stringent action for
enforcement of Model Code of Conduct during the first 72 hours of announcement of the
election
schedule and also for maintaining extra vigilanceand strict enforcement action in the Last 72 hou
rs
prior to the close of polls.  These instructions have been issued in theform of Standard Operati
ng
Procedures (SOPs) for compliance by the field election machinery.


(12)     Videography/ Webcasting/CCTV Coverage


All critical events will be video-
graphed. District Election Officers will arrange sufficient
number of videoand digital cameras and camera teams for the purpose. The events f
or videography will include filing of nomination papers and scrutiny thereof,
allotment of symbols, First Level Checking,
preparations and storageof Electronic Voting Machines,
important public meetings, processions
etc. during election campaign, processof dispatching of postal ballot papers, polli
ng process in identified vulnerable polling stations, storage of polled EVMs and

VVPATs, counting of votes
etc. Additionally, CCTVs will be installed at important Border
Check Posts and Static Check Points for
effective monitoring and surveillance. Further, the Commission hasdirected that We
bcasting, CCTV
coverage, Videography and Digital cameras will also be deployed insidecritical
 polling booths
and polling booths in vulnerable areas to closely monitor the proceedings on the p
ollday without violating secrecy of voting process.



(13)     Measures to Prevent Public Nuisance:


(a)     Usage  of  eco-
friendly  substances  for  preparing  election  campaign/publicity material-
 Considering the long-term deleterious impact of materials like plastics,
polythene etc on the life-giving and life-
sustainingenvironment, the Commission, has
directed that all political parties, contesting candidates and theirauthorized agen
ts
etc, shall desist from utilizing environmentally hazardous materials like plasti
cs, polythene etc for the preparation and usage election-related
publicity materials
during the ensuing GeneralElections to the Legislative Assembly
of Himachal Pradesh. The DEOs and ROs are directed to emphasize
the importance of environment protection and
preservation during the meetings with
the political parties andcontesting candidates and ensure that the instructions
of the Commission with regard to the usage of non-eco- friendly
materials like plastics,
polythene etc during electioneering shall be adhered to by all concerned.The CEO s
hall impress upon the importance of using eco-friendly and bio-
degradable materials for
campaignmaterial to various political parties in their respective
states/UT and issue necessary instructions in thisregard.


(b)     Restrictions on the use of loudspeakers:


The  Commission
is  genuinely  concerned  about  the  serious  ‘noise  pollution’  and
great disturbance tothe peace and tranquility of the general public by the reckless,
widespread and flagrant use of loudspeakersduring election canvassing and campai
gn by candidates, political parties and their agents. In particular, thestudent comm
unity, gets seriously
disturbed and adversely impacted as their studies are badly hampered
because the loudspeakers start blaring from very early hours in the morning and
continue to do so throughoutthe day and till extremely late hours in the night. Simila
rly, the aged, the infirm and the sick whether ininstitutions, hospitals, etc. or at
home, are
that the use of public address system or loudspeakers or any soundamplifier, wheth

er
fitted on vehicles of any kind whatsoever, or in static position used for public meet
ings forelectioneering purposes, during the entire election period starting from the
date of announcement of electionand ending with the
date of declaration of results, shall not be permitted at night between 10.00 p.m.
and6.00 a.m.”



Further, No loudspeakers fitted on vehicles of any kind or in any other
manner whatsoever
shall be permittedto be used during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour
fixed for the conclusion of the poll in any polling area.



Moreover, for maintenance for law and order and prevention of loudspeaker use for inciting
 tension in apolitically surcharged atmosphere, District Administrations
is advised to consider any application forpermission to use loudspeakers after t
he aforesaid prohibitory period
of 48 hours, on merit of eachapplication and keeping in view the need to maintain
proper law and order till the completion of election.


(c)     Also, the Commission solicits the cooperation and collaboration of all the esteemed
stakeholders
notablythe political parties and contesting candidates to refrain from using
loudspeakers and sound amplification in the vicinity of educational
institutions like schools and colleges; hospitals, senior citizens homes,
sanatoriums and other facilities tending to the sick, infirm or the needy.


(14)     Law and Order, Security Arrangements and Deployment of Forces

Conduct of elections
involves elaborate security management, which includes not just the
security of pollingpersonnel, polling stations and polling materials, but also the overall securi
ty
of the election process. Central ArmedPolice Forces (CAPFs) are deployed to supplement the lo
cal
police force in ensuring a peaceful and conducive atmospherefor the smooth conduct of electio
ns in a free, fair and credible
manner. In view of the same, the very preparation of pollschedule, sequencing of multi-
phase elections and choice of constituencies for each phase had to follow the logic
of forceavailability and force management.

The Commission has taken various measures to ensure free and fair elections by creating a
conducive atmosphere
inwhich each elector is able to access the polling station and cast his vote without being
obstructed or being unduly influenced/ intimidated by anybody.

Based on the assessment of the ground situation, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and
State Armed Police(SAP) drawn from other States will be deployed during these elec
tions. The CAPFs shall be deployed well in advance
for area domination, route marches in vulnerable pockets, point patrolling and

other confidence building measuresto re-assure and build
faith in the minds of the voters, especially those belonging to the weaker sections, minorit
ies etc. In the insurgency-
affected areas, CAPFs shall be inducted well in time for undertaking area familiarization and
hand-holding with local forces and all other standard security protocols for
movement, enforcement activities etc in theseareas will be strictly adhered to. The CAPFs/S
AP
shall also be deployed in the Expenditure Sensitive Constituenciesand other vulnerable area
s
and critical polling stations as per the assessment of ground realities by the CEO of theState,
in consultation with the various stakeholders. On the Poll-eve, the CAPFs/SAP shall take
position in
and control ofthe respective polling stations and will be responsible for safeguarding the pollin
g stations and for providing security tothe electors and polling personnel
on the poll day. Besides, these forces will be used for securing the strong rooms where theEVMs
and VVPATs are stored and for securing the counting
centers and for other purposes, as required.

The CEOs will ensure a day-to-day monitoring of the activities and deployment of the
CAPFs/SAP in these States to optimize the usage and effectiveness of these forces for
conducting
peaceful and transparent elections and inform theCommission periodically. Further, the entir
e force deployment in the assembly segments shall be under the oversight of theCentral Observ
ers deputed by the Commission.

The Commission lays a special emphasis on the advance preventive measures to be taken by
the District Magistratesand Police authorities to maintain the Law & Order and to create at
mosphere conducive for the conduct of free and fairelections. The Commission will be
constantly monitoring
the ground situation closely and will take appropriate measures toensure peaceful, free and fair
polls in these States.

(15)    Protection To Electors Of SC/ST And Other Weaker Sections:

As per Section 3 (1) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (as amendedin 2015), whoever,
not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, forces or intimidates a member
of aScheduled
Caste or a Scheduled Tribe not to vote or to vote for a particular candidate or to vote in a man
ner other thanthat provided by law, or not to stand as
a candidate etc., shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall notbe less
than six months but which may extend to five years and with fine. The Commission
has asked the
StateGovernments to bring these provisions to the notice of all concerned for prompt action. I
n
order to bolster the confidenceof the voters hailing from vulnerable sections especially SCs, STs
 etc
and enhance their conviction and faith in the purityand credibility of the poll process, CAPFs/S
AP

shall be extensively and vigorously utilized in patrolling such areas,conducting route marches
and undertaking others necessary confidence building measures under the supervision of the
Central Observers.

(16)    Election Expenditure Monitoring:

Comprehensive
instructions for the purpose of effective monitoring of the election expenditure of the c
andidateshave been issued, which include formation of Flying Squads (FS),
Static Surveillance Teams (SST), Video SurveillanceTeams
(VST), involvement of Investigation
Directorates of Income Tax Deptt. etc. State Excise Departments
and policeauthorities have been
asked to monitor production, distribution, sale and storage of liquor and other intoxicants (includi
ng
narcotics) during the election process. The functioning and operations of the Flying Squads/Mob
ile Teams shall be closelymonitored using GPS Tracking.

For greater transparency and for ease of monitoring of Election Expenses, Candidates would
be required to open aseparate bank account and incur their election expenses from that very
account. The Investigation Directorate of IncomeTax Dept. has been asked to
open Air Intelligence
units in the airports of these states and also to gather intelligence and takenecessary action agains
t movement of large sum of money in these states.
Some new initiatives taken by the Commission to strengthen the Expenditure Monitoring
mechanism are:

(a)          Standard Operating Procedure for Seizure and release of cash: For the
purpose of maintaining purity of elections, the Election Commission of India has
issued the Standard Operating Procedure for Flying Squads and Static Surveillance
Teams, constituted for keeping vigil over excessive campaign expenses, distribution
of items of bribe in cash or in kind, movement of illegal arms, ammunition, liquor, or
antisocial elements etc. in the constituency during election process.

In order to avoid inconvenience to the public and genuine persons and also for
redressal of their grievances, if any, the Commission has instructed vide its
instruction no. 76/Instructions/EEPS/2015/Vol-II dated 29.05.2015, that a committee
shall be formed comprising three officers of the District, namely, (i) CEO, Zila
Parishiad/CDO/P.D, DRDA (ii) Nodal Officer of Expenditure Monitoring in the
District Election Office (Convenor) and (iii) District Treasury Officer. The
Committee shall suo-motu examine each case of seizure made by the Police or SST
or FS and where the Committee finds that no FIR/Complaint has been filed against
the Seizure or where the seizure is not linked with any candidate or political party or
any election campaign etc., as per Standard Operating Procedure, it shall take
immediate step to order release of such cash etc. to such persons from whom the cash
was seized after passing a speaking order to that effect. The Committee shall look
into all cases and take decision on seizure. In no case, the matter relating to seized
cash/seized valuables shall be kept pending for more that 7(seven) days after the date
of poll, unless any FIR/Complaint is filed.




(b)     Accounting of the expenditure incurred for campaign vehicles – on the basis of
permissions granted:It had come to the notice of the Commission
that the candidates take permission from the Returning Officer for use
of vehicles for campaign purpose,
but some candidates do not show the vehicle hiring charges or fuelexpenses
in their
election expenditure account. Therefore, it has been decided that unless the candid
ate intimates the R.O. for withdrawing the permission,
the notional expenditure on account of campaign vehicles
will be calculated based on the number of vehicles for which permissions is
granted by the Returning Officer.


(c)   
Filing of part statement of Election Expenditure by Political parties in 30 days:
The political partieswill be required to file a part expenditure statement in respe
ct
of the lump sum payments made to thecandidate, within 30 days after declaration
of results. The recognized political parties shall have to submit their accounts of
election expenses with the Election Commission of India and the unrecognized
political parties with the Chief Electoral Officer of the concerned State.


(d)     Account Reconciliation Meeting: In order to reduce litigations relating to expenditure
accounts, a reconciliation meeting will be convened by the DEOs before final
submission of the accounts, on the 26th dayafter the declaration of the results.


(e)     All expenditure incurred by those candidates, their party agents or party leaders on
their travel, boarding,lodging etc. who travel to overseas countries for the purpose of
canvassing in their favour to seek votes ofoverseas
electors residing there, would be deemed to be the expenditure incurred or
authorized by the candidates in connection
with their election and will have to be included
in their account of electionexpenses.
Moreover, any inducement to overseas electors by way of air tickets or any other
documents toinducements to them, in cash or kind, to come to India for the purpo
se of voting at the election wouldamount to the electoral offence of ‘bribery’
within the meaning of section 171B of the IPC as also the
corruptpractice of ‘Bribery’ within the meaning of section 123(1) of the R.P. Act,
1951.


(f )     Candidate’ Booth/ (Kiosk) Outside Polling Station-
 Expenditure to be Included in Candidates’ Election Account:


In order to ensure effective, accurate and credible election expenditure monitoring
and to ensure that thecandidates’ expenditure accounts faithfully represent the actu
al
spending on electioneering, the Commissionhas decided that   that the candidat
es’ booths set up outside the polling stations should, hereinafter, be

deemed to have been
set up by the candidates as part of their individual campaign and not by way of gen
eral
party propaganda and all such expenditure incurred on such candidates’ booths sh
all
be deemed to havebeen incurred/authorized by the candidate/his election agen
t,
so as to be included in his account ofelection expenses. The DEOs have been a
sked to notify the rates of the candidates’ booths set up outside
polling stations after due consultation with the political parties as per the
Commission’s instruction to all Chief Electoral Officers vide letter no.
6/ECI/INST/FUNC/EEM/EEPS/2016/Vol.IX dated
23.12.2016.Further, Schedule-6 of
account of election expenses to be submitted by each contesting candidate has als
o been modified accordingly.


(g)      Ceiling Of Election Expenses For Candidates:


The election expenses ceiling for candidates has been revised by the Government
of India videNotification dated 28th  February, 2014. As per the revised ceilin
gs, the
maximum limit of electionexpenses for the Assembly Constituencies is Rs. 28 l
akh per candidate for the state of Himachal Pradesh. All candidates are
required to furnish their accounts of expenditure within 30 days of declaration of
results.


(h)    Final Accounts By Political Parties:


All Political Parties sponsoring
candidates for the Legislative Assembly elections are required to maintainday-to-
day accounts of all election campaign expenses and submit
the accounts to the Commission
within 75days of the completion of such elections. Such accounts will be
uploaded on the website of the Commissionfor public viewing.


(17)     Effective use of Media:

            (a)  Media Engagement:


The Commission
has always considered the media as an important ally and a potent force multiplie
r inensuring an effective and efficient election management. Hence, the
Commission has directed the CEO of poll-going state to take the following
measures for positive and progressive engagement and interaction with themedia:



a)       Regular interaction with the media during the elections and maintaining an
effective and positiveline of communication with media at all times.



b)   
A  strong  and  concerted  focus  on  the  creation  of  an  effective  information
dissemination systemto the media at the State and district level to ensure time
ly and due access to election-
related data andinformation by media by appointment of a Nodal Officer and
Spokesperson at State Level.



c)       Effective steps to sensitize the media about the Election Code.



d)      Authority letters will be issued to all accredited media for the polling day and day
of counting.


Commission expects the media to play a positive, pro-active and constructive role in
supplementing and facilitatingthe efforts towards delivery of free, fair, transparent,
participative, peaceful and credible elections.

(b)     Use of Social Media:


The Commission
has decided to enhance its interaction and involvement with all the
stakeholders in theelectoral processes by inducting the use of social media at the St
ate
as well as the District level. Necessaryinstructions in this regards have been issued t
o Chief Electoral Officers of all States/UTs. The CEO and DEOsare expected to act
ivate their official accounts on social media platforms
like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube for establishing a more interactive system.
Social Media Cells at CEO and DEO offices will
professionally handlethe Social Media and disseminate all the necessary informati
on regarding voters’ awareness, pre-certification, MCC, etc. Complaints received
on this
platform would be promptly responded to. A Social Media Cell at ECIlevel has
also been set up to monitor the performance of the State/UTs and District and to
guide them to maximize the use of Social Media, making it more interactive and
interesting for the general public.



(c )    Paid News:


To deal with the menace of ‘Paid News’, a mechanism has been laid out with three
tier Mediacertification and Monitoring Committees (MCMCs) at District, State
 and ECI level. Revisedcomprehensive
instructions on ‘Paid News’ are available on the Commission’s website.



Necessary instructions have been issued to the CEO of Himachal Pradesh to
ensure briefing of politicalparties and Media in the
districts about ‘Paid News’ and the mechanism to
check ‘Paid News’. The MCMCshave been trained to do their job.




(d)    Pre-Certification of Political Advertisements:


The Commission has decided that the bulk SMSs/Voice messages on phone
and in election campaigning shallalso be in the purview of pre-
certification of election advertisements
as  in  case  of  all  electronic  media/TV  Channels/Cable  Network/Radio  incl
uding private FM channels/Cinema halls/audio-
visual displays inpublic places and political advertisement in social media.


(e)     Monitoring of Electronic and Social Media:


All the election management related news would be monitored vigorously
on all the major national andregional news channels during elections. If
any untoward incident
or violation of any law/rule is noticed,action would be taken immediately. Repo
rts of monitoring would also be forwarded to the CEO concerned. Office of
CEO will ascertain status on each and every
item and file ATR/Status Report. Various Social
Mediaplatforms shall also remain under the close and stringent vigil of the Commis
sion for any content aimed atvitiating the electoral process or designed to disturb
peace, tranquility, social harmony and public order.


 (18)    Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP):


Comprehensive measures for voters’ education and awareness were taken up during the
Special Roll Revision process. These measures will continue and will be further
augmented during the ensuing electoral process.
10% of the lowest turnout Polling Stations in each district have been identified and possible reaso
ns for the lower turnout analyzed. KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and
Practices) Survey has already
been undertaken by the Chief ElectoralOfficer and targeted interventions based on the
findings towards enhanced IMF (Information, Motivation and Facilitation) have been
meticulously planned and rolled out to meet the objective of ‘No Voter to be Left Behind’. This
includes special outreach measures for Persons with Disability and identified marginal
segments in the States and Districts.
Chief Electoral Officer of Himachal Pradesh has been directed to ensure wide
dissemination of election relatedinformation,
as well as ensure adequate facilitation measures for ensuing wider
participation of people in polling. Modelpolling stations will be set up in each of the assem
bly
constituencies. Voter helplines, Voters’ Facilitation Centres, weband SMS based search facilities
 are active for assistance of voters. Reminder services on poll days have been
meticulouslyplanned.
As per the directions of the Commission, Booth Awareness Groups have also been activated
at the Polling Stationsfor educating the voters and motivating them for informed and ethi
cal voting. Campus Ambassadors
have been activated ineducational institutions for facilitating electoral participation
amongst youth.


Partnerships have been nurtured with Departments,
PSUs, CSOs and Media for maximum outreach of SVEEPinitiatives. Customized
informational and motivational messaging has been
designed to cater to different segments of theelectorate. All available platforms of informati
on dissemination are being utilized including electronic, digital, outdoor,print, folk, inter-
personal and social media.

(19)     Certification Programme for Returning Officers:

The Returning Officers are required to be constantly updated on the various rules and
instructions related to conductof polls. With this in mind the Commission for the first time i
ntroduced an in-
depth Certification Programme for allReturning Officers. Also all the Election Trainers, w
ho would be training various category of officials involved with the conduct of elections, have
been trained in training techniques and methodology through Train the Trainers &Facilitato
rs
(TTF) programmes. Team Leaders at various levels have also been given Leadership Trainin
g. It is expected that the election officials in the State would thus be far better equipped to
manage elections in a smooth manner.

(20)     Deployment of Central Observers:
                     (a)        General Observers

The Commission will deploy General Observers in adequate number to ensure smooth
conduct of elections.The Observers will be asked to keep a close watch on every st
age
of the electoral process to ensure free and fairelections. Their names, addresses with
in the district/constituency and their telephone numbers will be publicized in local
newspapers
so that the general public can quickly approach them for any grievanceredressal.
The Observers will be given a detailed briefing by the Commission before their
deployment. The Observers will fix a suitable time every day for meeting the
political parties, candidates and otherstakeholders to redress their election related
grievances.


(b)     Police Observers.


The Commission may deploy senior IPS officers as Police Observers at
district/AC
level in the poll goingState depending upon the need, sensitivity and assessment
of
ground realities and prevailing law and order andsecurity scenario. They will monit
or all activities relating to force deployment, law and order situation and co-
ordinate between civil and police administration to ensure free and fair election.


(c)     Expenditure Observers.


The Commission has also decided to appoint adequate number of Expenditure
Observers and AssistantExpenditure Observers who will exclusively

monitor the election expenditure of the contesting
candidates.Control room and Complaint
Monitoring Centre with 24 hours toll free numbers shall be operative during
the entire election process. Banks
and Financial Intelligence Units of Government of India
have beenasked to forward suspicious cash withdrawal reports to the election offici
als.
Comprehensive instructions forthe purpose of effective monitoring of the electi
on expenditure of the candidates have been separately issuedby the Commission an
d are available at ECI website <www.eci.nic.in >.


(d)     Micro Observers


As per the extant instructions, the General Observers will also deploy Micro-
Observers, from amongst Central Government/PSUs Officials, to observe the poll
proceedings on the poll day in critical/vulnerable pollingstations. Micro-
Observers will observe the
proceedings at the polling stations on the poll day, right from theconduct of mock p
oll, to the completion of poll and the process of sealing of EVMs and
VVPATs and otherdocuments so
as to ensure that all instructions of the Commission are complied with by the Poll
ing Partiesand the Polling Agents. They will report to the General Observers
directly regarding any vitiation of the poll proceedings in their allotted polling
stations.


(21)               New IT Applications To Be Used For Forthcoming
General Elections: (a)         SAMADHAN: Public
Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System
A comprehensive, robust and reliable Public Grievance Redress System has been
developed by the ElectionCommission to provide a common platform for all compla
ints, grievances, concerns and suggestions
lodged byany member of the public, including our various stakeholders
like political parties, candidates, civil societygroups etc. A citizen has the multi-
modal facility to lodge any election-related complaint via bouquet of
channels/sources like Website (http://ceohimachal.nic.in), Email, letter, fax,
SMS, Call-centre (Call-
centerNumber is ‘’1950’’) etc. A Mobile App shall also be made available for the
people, so that they can submitcomplaints with photographs/videos
on the common platform. SMS is sent to complainant on receipt/disposalof compl
aint
and the complainant can track status and view ATR online or through the Mobile
App.
Thissystem has been developed in such a manner that in addition to providing redre
ss to the complaints of thepubic, it also serves as a common
interface for providing
services through a common interface. It is thusaimed as a complete G to C interfac
e to provide seamless services to the citizens on election related matters.


(b)     SUVIDHA: Single Window Permission System



A single window system for giving election-
related permissions/clearances within 24
hours has been created.In this system, Candidates
and Political Parties can apply for
permissions for Meetings, Rallies, vehicles,temporary election office, loudspeaker
s etc at a single location, where back-
end convergence of variousauthorities/departments
has been done. This system is put in place at every RO level in each sub-
division which will provide for applying, processing, granting and
monitoring permissions in a synergisticmanner. However, in case of permissions fo
r Helicopter usage/landing and
use of helipads, the application shallhave to be submitted atleast 36 hours in advan
ce.


(c)     SUGAM: Vehicle Management System


It is an IT-
based Vehicle Management System with the facility of issuance of requisition
letters for vehicles,capturing of vehicle details with address, mobile number and ba
nk
details of owner and driver, transfer ofvehicles from one district to another district et
c.


(d)     Webcasting/CCTVs at Polling Stations:


Webcasting at selected distant polling stations for LIVE monitoring of election process, to keep a
check onillegal activities such as booth capturing, money distribution and
bogus voting and to bring about completetransparency in the voting process shall
be
undertaken. Further, during the election process, CCTV monitoringand webcasting
 shall also be done at various border check-posts, check-
nakas and other sensitive and critical
locations across the constituencies to keep a strict vigil on any nefarious activi
ties designed to vitiate theelectoral process.
 (e)    Polling/Police Personnel Deployment System:


This application will be used for creating database of police/polling personnel,
generation ofcommand/appointment letters, sending SMS regarding deputation/
training, tagging of patrolling party withforce, generation of application for postal
ballot, formation of polling party/police party after randomization,for sending poll
ing personnel/police force from one district to another district etc.


(f )        E-Payment :
The Commission has directed to the Chief Electoral Officer of Himachal Pradesh
to make Payments through e-payment gateway for (i) Timely Payment for all the
Civilian Officials/Police Officials deployed for “Election Duties” (ii) Timely
Payment to all the Owners of the Vehicles which are Requisitioned for Election

Purpose , (iii) Timely Payment for all the Vendors who provide Goods and
Services for Election related Duties in all the Assembly Constituencies.

(g)       Voter Centric Information Dissemination Initiatives:


It is the constant endeavour of the Commission to facilitate the voters across the
country in accessing themultifarious election-
related services and information. As part of this vision, an SMS-
based search facilityand Voter Friendly Interactive Website has already been
launched and successfully working.

         

(22)     Conduct of Officials

The Commission expects all officials engaged in the conduct of elections to discharge their
duties in an impartialmanner without any fear or favour. They are deemed to be on de
putation to the Commission and shall be subject to itscontrol, supervision and discipline. The
 conduct of all Government officials who have been entrusted
with election relatedresponsibilities
and duties would remain under constant scrutiny of the Commission
and strict action shall be takenagainst those officials who are found wanting on any account.

The Commission has already given instructions that no election related official or Police
officer  of  the  rank  of
Inspector and above shall be allowed to continue in his home district.
Besides, instructions have also been issuedthat election related officials including police offici
als of Inspector level and above, who have completed three years in adistrict
during last four years, should be transferred out of that district. Police officers
of the rank of Sub-Inspectors, whohave completed three years in a Sub-Division/Assembly
Constituency or are posted in their home sub
division/assemblyconstituency, shall also be transferred out of that Sub-
Division and the Assembly Constituency.

The Commission has also instructed the State Governments not to associate any officer with
the electoral process against whom charges have been framed in a court of law in any case.

(23)     Poll Day Monitoring System

A constant and stringent 24-
hour monitoring of the critical events and activities of the poll day
shall be done using thePoll Day Monitoring System. All the crucial events like reaching
of Polling Parties, Votes Cast, Voters’ Images etc shallbe captured and monitored using this st
ate-of- the-art IT application, which has the added advantage of being used offline also, so as to
circumvent non- connectivity of network. All data captured offline is synchronized with the
centralized server as soon as the person using the App comes
in the coverage area. Through this App, we can find out Voter Turnout (VTR)gender-wise, age-
wise and section-wise. Improvement of quality of image in
the roll can also be done through this Appas we get the recent colour photograph of the vot
er against old / bad quality photograph in the roll.


(24)     New Initiatives
         
1.      Use of VVPATs at Polling Stations:
VVPATs will be used along with EVMs in all 7479 Polling Stations of 68 Assembly
Constituencies of poll going state of Himachal Pradesh to enhance the transparency and
credibility of the elections. On a pilot basis, VVPAT from One (1) Polling
Station in each Assembly Constituency will be randomly selected to count
VVPAT paper slips for verification of the result obtained from the control
unit.

2.      Security Net :
To ensure peaceful, free and fair election it is necessary that an atmosphere free from
intimidation & inducement to voters is ensured. To maintain Law & Order in an effective
way and to take swift and time bound preventive action against intimidators such as
Proclaimed  Offenders/Bail Jumpers/History Sheeters/Antisocial elements an IT based
system by name Security Net has been developed to monitor Preventive action at Police
Station level. The Licensed Arms deposited, the illegal arms Liquor, drugs seized, NBW
executed, cash, freebies seized and Nakas put to check any movement of antisocial
elements, etc. would be monitored on continuous basis at Police Station level through
Security Net. 

3.      RO Net:
To have efficient election management as per Commissions direction, and integrated IT
solution which works on Web Portal, Mobile App and thorough SMS, has been developed
to be implemented first time in entire State of Himachal Pradesh which would make the
conduction of election efficient, transparent, smooth, free and fair. This innovation is based
on the Pilot RO-Net which was implemented in a few Constituencies of Ludhiana District
in Punjab during Jan-Feb 2017 Assembly Elections of Punjab. 
4.      All Women Managed Polling Stations:
All- women Managed Polling Stations’ shall be set up in two polling stations
for each Assembly Constituency wherethe entire polling staff, including the police and se
curity personnel, shall be Women. Total 136 Women Managed Polling Stations will be
setup for the entire state of Himachal Pradesh for the first time.
5.      Booth Level Planning:
First time in the Country an innovative “bottom up” approach of booth level planning and
management has been implemented in the State of Himachal Pradesh where in Booth Level
plans for 7479 Polling Stations have been prepared containing all informations and
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for response for smooth conduct of elections at each
Polling Station. These booth level Plans have been used to prepare AC level, District level
and State level Election Management Plans. 
6.      E-Atlas :
As a new innovation, GIS based planning, implementation and monitoring of various
election related activities in real time is being implemented in the State of Himachal
Pradesh. It would be useful to take immediate response for conduct of various activities
related to election including natural disasters in any of the Polling Stations.
7.      E-Payment Gateway for Goods and Services:
All Payments will be made through e-payment gateway for (i) Timely Payment for all the
Civilian Officials/Police Officials deployed for “Election Duties” (ii) Timely Payment to all

the Owners of the Vehicles which are Requisitioned for Election Purpose , (iii) Timely
Payment for all the Vendors who provide Goods and Services for Election related Duties in
all the Assembly Constituencies.
8.      Registration of Service Voters and ETPBS:
Commission has implemented ETPBS (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System) on
pilot basis in 4 states of Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand and Manipur and in the entire state of
Goa in the State Assembly Elections conducted during Feb-March, 2017 and would extend
it in Himachal Pradesh election too.
9.      Brail EPIC and Brail Photo Voter Slips:
To have inclusive elections, special provisions have been made for all differently abled
electors. Brail EPIC and Brail Photo Voter Slips would be issued to all visually challenged
electors. Queueless voting at all Polling Stations would be ensured for all differently abled
electors.

(25)     Schedules of Election

The Commission
has prepared the Schedules for holding General Elections to the Legislative Assembly of
HimachalPradesh after taking into consideration
all relevant aspects like climatic conditions, academic calendar, major festivals,prevailing l
aw and order situation in the State, availability of Central Police Forces,
time needed for movement, transportation and timely deployment of forces and in-
depth assessment of other relevant ground realities.

The  Commission
after  considering  all  relevant  aspects  has  decided  to  recommend  to the Governors
of theState of Himachal Pradesh to issue
notifications for the General Elections to their respective states under the relevantprovisions of t
he Representation of the People Act, 1951, as per the Schedule annexed.

The Commission seeks the active cooperation, close collaboration and constructive
partnership of all the esteemedstakeholders in the electoral process and strives to em
ploy the collective synergies towards delivering a smooth, free, fair,
peaceful participative and festive elections.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First day of conference of Governors concludes with
presentations and discussion on ‘Higher Education in
States’ and ‘Skill Development and Entrepreneurship -

Making Youth Employable’

The first day of the 48th Conference of Governors/Lt Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan
concluded today (October 12, 2017) with presentations and a discussion on the themes of
‘Higher Education in States’ and ‘Skill Development and Entrepreneurship - Making Youth
Employable’.  The Minister of HRD, Shri Prakash Javadekar, and Minister of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, made presentations covering the vision and
roadmap for addressing the issues on the agenda.  Governors also gave their feedback and views,
and cited experiences from their States.

The agenda of the Conference has been shaped by the over-arching national mission to
achieve ‘New India-2022’.  India will complete 75 years of Independence in 2022. The Union
Government has developed a vision for ‘New India-2022’ that will require initiatives in
education and skill building, enhancing educational, health and sanitation capacities of citizens,
and upgrading infrastructure. Also envisaged is better access to and quality of public services.

Twenty-seven Governors and three Lt. Governors of States and Union Territories are
participating in the Conference. The Administrators of the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli &
Daman and Diu as well as of Lakshadweep are special invitees. The Vice-President, the Prime
Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and other Union Ministers also participated in the
Conference today.

Earlier in the day, in his opening remarks at the Conference, President Ram Nath Kovind
said that it is essential to link youth with the process of nation building. Special attention needs
to be paid to higher education and skill development at the level of States.  Addressing the
participants, the President emphasised the need to trust citizens. He gave the examples of self-
attestation of documents by individuals and the easier mechanism for obtaining a passport that is
in place now, urging States to take forward this philosophy of trusting the citizen.

The President said that in the context of development of each part of the country, it was
crucial to have a special focus on tribal and indigenous communities in the Fifth and Sixth
Schedule of the Constitution. The President said the dream of a developed India will be realised
only when every State develops.

Following the President, the Doyen of Governors or the senior most Governor at the
Conference, Shri E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, spoke on the
gamut of developmental challenges, ranging from energy and technology to health and
sustainable development.

The first session was addressed by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. Referring to
the mission of achieving New India by 2022, the Prime Minister emphasised that this can be

achieved only with widespread popular participation. He said that it is important to encourage
innovation not just in terms of new technology but also finding solutions to long-standing
problems. He encouraged Governors to interact at length with students and teachers. He said
universities should be centres of innovation. He suggested Governors could encourage their
States and especially the youth and the university network to adopt one sport (other than cricket)
in which the State had potential and attempt to build excellence in it.

A presentation was made by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog on the
elements of New India-2022. He said that the focus would be on a clean, healthy and safe India,
with new benchmarks of governance, greater transparency and higher accountability.

In the pre-lunch session, deliberations were held in two breakaway groups. The first
group, deliberating on the topic ‘Infrastructure for New India-2022’, had the following
participants:-

Governors of States
         Shri E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
         Shri S. C. Jamir, Governor of Odisha
         Dr. K. K. Paul, Governor of Uttarakhand
         Shri Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil, Governor of Sikkim
         Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal
         Shri Balramji Dass Tandon, Governor of Chhattisgarh
         Shri Kalyan Singh, Governor of Rajasthan
         Shri Tathagata Roy, Governor of Tripura
         Dr. Najma A. Heptulla, Governor of Manipur
         Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Tamil Nadu
         Shri V. P. Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Union Territory of
Chandigarh
         Shri Satya Pal Malik, Governor of Bihar
         Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam

Union Ministers
         Shri Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs
         Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of
Shipping; Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
         Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Minister of Coal
         Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minster of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of
Development of North Eastern Region; Minster of State in the Prime Minister’s Office;
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension; Minister
of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minster or State in the Department of
Space
         Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs
NITI Aayog
         Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog
Lt. Governors of Union Territories

         Shri Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi
         Admiral (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, Lt. Governor
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Administrator of Union Territory (Special invitee)
         Shri Praful Patel, Administrator of Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli &
Daman and Diu

The second group, deliberating on the subject ‘Public Services for New India-2022’,
comprised:-

Governors of States
         Shri N. N. Vohra, Governor of Jammu & Kashmir
         Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma, Governor of Mizoram
         Shri Om Prakash Kohli, Governor of Gujarat with additional charge of Madhya Pradesh
         Shri Padmanabha Balakrishna Achary, Governor of Nagaland
         Shri Ram Naik, Governor of Uttar Pradesh
         Shri Kaptan Singh Solanki, Governor of Haryana
         Shri Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra
         Smt. Mridula Sinha, Governor of Goa
         Shri Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Governor of Karnataka
         Shri Justice (Retd.) Palanisamy Sathasivam, Governor of Kerala
         Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Governor of Jharkhand
         Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Himachal Pradesh
         Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.), Governor of Arunachal Pradesh
         Shri Ganga Prasad, Governor of Meghalaya

Union Ministers
         Shri Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs
         Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law & Justice and Minister of Electronic and
Information Technology
         Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare
         Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
         Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development
         Shri Dharmndra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship

NITI Aayog
         Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog

Lt. Governors of Union Territories
         Dr. Kiran Bedi, Lt. Governor of Puducherry

Administrator of Union Territory (Special invitee)
         Shri Farooq Khan, Administrator of Union Territories of Lakshadweep


Tomorrow (October 13, 2017), in the third session of the Conference, Governors will
make short interventions on issues pertaining to their respective States/Union Territories.  In the
concluding session, a brief report on the deliberations will be presented by the respective
conveners.


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