Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 27 February 2024
In anticipation of the upcoming General Election to Lok Sabha 2024, Mr. B S Jaglan, IAS, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, convened a significant meeting on February 26, 2024. The meeting, held in the Mini Conference Hall of the Secretariat, was attended by a multitude of key stakeholders involved in ensuring the smooth conduct of elections.
Among those present were the Returning Officer of ANIPC, all District Election Officers, Nodal Officers from various departments including the State Police Department, Income Tax Department, State Excise Department, Indian Coast Guard, State Goods and Services Tax/Commercial Tax, Central Industrial Security Force, Forest Department, Airport Authority of India, State Civil Aviation Department, State Level Bankers, Department of Post, and Officers of the Election Department.
The primary focus of the meeting revolved around issues related to IT application training sessions tailored for Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The participants were briefed on the utilisation of the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) and the cVigil Application through a detailed PowerPoint presentation.
ESMS, a pioneering application developed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), facilitates the real-time reporting of seizures. Its main objective is to digitize data concerning intercepted or seized items such as cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, freebies, and other pertinent items, directly from the field via a mobile application. The responsibilities pertaining to data entry for interceptions/seizures were thoroughly discussed, delineating the roles of the CEO, District Election Officers, State Nodal Officers, District Nodal Officers, and Banks.
Similarly, the meeting also shed light on the cVigil mobile application, another innovation by the ECI, designed to empower citizens in reporting violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during elections. The roles of various stakeholders including the CEO, Returning Officers, District Election Officers, and Field Support Teams in handling reports submitted by citizens through the cVigil application were elaborated upon.
The gathering saw the presence of figures such as Mr. Ankit Yadav, District Election Officer for North & Middle Andaman District, Ms. Jyoti Kumari, District Election Officer for Nicobar District (via video conferencing), Mr. Dilkhush Meena, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Ms. Nandini Maharaj, Additional District Magistrate, Mr. Vinayak Chamadia, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, and several other officials representing different departments crucial to the electoral process.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to ensure the effective utilisation of technological tools and collaborative efforts in conducting free, fair, and transparent elections in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.