Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) will play an important role to aware people about the importance of free and fair elections. Under this initiative 1.5 million of students will be sensitized about the electoral process.Addressing a meeting of State level Master Trainers (SLMT) on ELCs here today, Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab Dr. S Karuna Raju said that students of schools, colleges and universities shall be made aware about the importance of the voting and how they will further inform people about ethical voting through these clubs.Dr. Raju said that every Indian citizen, whoever attained 18 years age can register himself as a voter, but before becoming a voter, he/she can understand and further sensitize people, including their parents regarding the whole electoral process. Formation of ELCs in every educational institution will help in achieving its objective.
He said that students in every educational institution should be made aware about the importance of their voting rights and they should be made sensitive about ethical voting.CEO Dr. Raju said that ECI spends huge expenditure in conducting elections and through Electoral Awareness Clubs, we can explain to the voters that they have the duty to make their decision sensibly without coming under any influence so the functioning of the democracy will be run as per constitutional mandate. Apart from this the Electoral Awareness Club can prove to be beneficial in achieving 100 percent voting.He said that at present, the 1992 Electoral Awareness Clubs are functioning in the state and efforts are on to increase this number to 5000 by end of the year.