In keeping with the directions of the Election Commission of India, a state level workshop was held here today by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab regarding the first level checking of the EVMs. The workshop saw attendance by the Deputy Commissioners cum District Electoral Officers and the Additional District Election Officers.During the workshop, a detailed presentation with regard to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPAT machines was given besides the address by EVM Advisor Vipan Katara and Raghvendra Acharya (NLMT). The speakers explained in great detail the starting of the EVM use to the newly developed EVM management software apart from its design, functioning, security features, transportation and the precautions to be taken during the storage of the EVMs and the rules and regulations governing these machines.In the second session, the technical knowhow about the EVM and VVPAT was imparted besides the control unit VVPAT and the ballot unit usage. During a question/Answer session held on the occasion, may queries were asked pertaining to the issues being faced in the field which were satisfactorily replied to by the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Dr. S. Karuna Raju and Mr. Katara.Dr. Raju elaborated that during the first level checking if an EVM is found faulty then it is separated from the rest and must be sent to the machine manufacturing government companies Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited for the next level checking and rectification.
He also said that the Deputy Commissioners cum District Electoral Officers must make the representatives of all the political parties aware about the first level checking process which is of great significance and also strive to ensure their presence during the first level checking because the most important stage of the electoral process is the first level checking. That is why it is of paramount importance that the representatives of all the political parties be present during the checking after which their signatures are to be taken mandatorily on the pink slip to be pasted on the EVMs after their checking.CEO Dr. Raju also said that it is due to the lack of awareness in the political parties that their representatives are absent during the first level checking. He further said that a team of the engineers from the BEL/ECIL is present during the first level checking and the people present on the spot are made about the functioning of the EVMs besides their composition which clears all the doubts regarding the EVMs. Dr. Raju emphasized that the District Electoral Officers and the Additional District Electoral Officers ensure the presence of the representatives of the various political parties during the first level checking of the EVMs. He also divulged that after the first level checking of the EVM is done then it can be tracked through the EVM tracking system.