Will ensure VVPATs with every voting machine in 2019: EC

With the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approving funds for the Election Commission to buy paper trail units, the poll panel said it would ensure voting machines with paper trail for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The government has announced it would provide Rs 3,173.47 crore spread over two years to the poll panel for buying 16.15 lakh Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

Attached with an electronic voting machine (EVM), a VVPAT unit churns out a paper slip with every press of EVM button, showing the voter the symbol and candidate he or she has voted for. The paper slip remains as a record with the election body.

"In compliance of Supreme Court order and as per the recommendation of the Election Commission of India, the government has approved Rs 3,173.47 crore for the procurement of 16,15,000 VVPATs.

"With this the Commission will ensure the total compliance of the orders of Supreme Court and its commitment to use VVPATs with every EVM at all polling stations in the country in General Elections 2019," the EC said in a statement on Wednesday.

"These VVPATs will be manufactured by BEL (Bharat Electronics Ltd) and ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Ltd) only as per the design approved by the Commission based on recommendation of the Technical Experts Committee on EVMs constituted by the Commission and comprising of eminent technical professors from IITs," the EC said.

The poll panel added that it will "closely monitor the production of VVPATs for timely delivery well before general elections 2019".

--IANS

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