Rachna Khaira
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 10
While the Election Commission of Delhi introduced a non-visual desktop access (NVDA) on its website around a year ago for persons with disabilities (PWD), the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the EC, Punjab, are yet to provide the facility to blind voters.
Surprisingly, the state does not maintain a separate data for visually impaired voters and those suffering from various physically and mental ailments.
Even though the ECI, while announcing the Assembly election dates in five states, said that utmost care would be taken of PWDs, it is yet to make its website user-friendly for them.
Though other arrangements like pick and drop facility from home to booth and the introduction of Braille voting papers were introduced during the last elections, the visually impaired voters felt like ignored as they are unable to locate their booth, apply online for vote or to get any online service provided by the ECI.
“Even though the ECI has assured us that special voters will be given pick and drop facilities by the district administration, no such arrangement has been announced by the administration till date,” said Amarjit Singh Anand, state coordinator for the PWD elections.
A demand has come from various organisations from across the state for the introduction of the NVDA facility by the EC, Punjab. The NVAD is a software which reads text on screen in a computerised voice. Also, it converts the text into Braille if the computer user owns a device called “Braille display”.
Cibin. C, Additional CEO, Elections, said though they wanted to introduce the NVAD software, theycould not do so due to the non-availability of a technical expertise in the state.
Statistics of PWD during 2011 Assembly elections
Visually impaired: 82,199
Hearing loss: 1.46 lakh
Speech: 2.45 lakh
Movement:1.30 lakh
MR: 45, 070
Mentally ill: 21, 925
Others: 1.65 lakh
Multiple desks: 39,000
Facilities assured by ECIto PWDs during elections
Wheel chairs/volunteers
Ramp and Braille EVMs
Exclusive booths
IM cable
Pick-and-drop service
Accommodation service
Polling info available in large fonts for people with low vision
Adequate signage throughout the area to guide a person through the entire process
Audio communication at the polling booth
ECI launches helpline1950 for voters
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has also launched 1950 helpline for voters where they can get their queries answered and can also apply online for various voter-related services. The telephone number was given this unique number as 1950 is the year the election panel was born.
PWDs voting duringPunjab elections
1st elections: 67 lakh
2012: 80 per cent
2017: 85 per cent expected.
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