Sachin Malik Lucknow: In accordance with the directions and objectives of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a workshop on the First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) was organised on Monday at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Uttar Pradesh Academy of Administration and Management (RUPAAM), Lucknow. The workshop aimed to ensure that the EVM FLC Process is conducted with Quality, transparency and in accordance with Prescribed Standards. The workshop was Chaired by Manish Garg, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India.
Officials from 33 districts Participated in the workshop, including District Election Officers, Deputy District Election Officers and FLC Supervisors. They were Provided training on the technical and administrative Procedures related to the Proposed First Level Checking of EVM. Earlier, Similar FLC workshops had been organised on August 19 in Gautam Buddh Nagar for officials and Personnel from 21 districts and on September 11 in Varanasi for 21 districts.
Officials and FLC Supervisors from 33 districts—Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Amethi, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti, Lucknow, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Unnao, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Moradabad, Bijnor, Amroha, Rampur, Sambhal, Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi, Jalaun and Lalitpur—Participated in the Workshop.
Chief Electoral Officer Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Akhand Pratap Singh, Principal Secretary Election Commission of India B.C. Patra, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Amit Singh and other senior officials were Present.
Addressing the workshop, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Manish Garg said that FLC is the initial and highly important Stage of Election Preparedness. He directed District Election Officers to Give special attention to Election-Related work from now onwards and conduct regular reviews with their Election teams. He asked officials to allocate time every day for reviewing Election-Related work so that the Commission directions, Election Preparedness and the future action Plan could be continuously Monitored.
He directed officials to ensure daily Shredding and disposal of VVPAT Slips as Per the Prescribed Procedure and to make adequate, high-Quality Shredders available to Prevent any disruption. He said that after FLC, the list of machines declared “OK” Should be Shared with Political Parties and their due acknowledgement obtained. Subsequently, after the finalisation of candidates and before commissioning, the list Should also be made available to the candidates to ensure transparency at every Stage of the Electoral Process.
Manish Garg further said that information regarding the FLC Process, Participation of Political Parties and compliance with the Prescribed Protocol Should also be made Public. Press notes Should be issued regarding the commencement and completion of FLC. He urged officials to take the training seriously and ensure their Personal and active Participation. He said that the Personal involvement of senior officers enhances the seriousness of training and helps Election Preparations Progress in a more effective and organised Manner.
While appreciating the work carried out by officials during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), he directed that the Pending Status of applications and forms being received Should be reviewed regularly so that they can be disposed of in accordance with the rules within the Prescribed Timeframe.
Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said that Preparations for the forthcoming Elections Should be undertaken with complete seriousness, vigilance and timeliness. Every Election-related Process must be completed transparently and Strictly according to the Prescribed Protocol, with no scope for negligence at any level.
He directed District Election Officers to regularly review Preparations in their respective districts and ensure timely compliance with every instruction of the Commission. He said FLC is a crucial initial Stage of Election Preparedness and that a Strong, transparent and well-organised FLC Process would ensure the smooth conduct of subsequent Stages.
He Stressed that, along with technical Standards, all administrative and security Protocols must be followed in letter and Spirit. Political Parties Should be informed of FLC dates well in advance and all records Should be maintained Systematically.
The Chief Electoral Officer further said that no movement of EVM Should take Place without the Permission of the competent authority. GPS tracking and adherence to the designated route must be ensured. He said better training would make the Process on Polling day Smoother and error-free. He directed officials to ensure regular inspection of FLC Sites, continuous Presence of supervisors and a robust control-room System. Any discrepancy Should be addressed immediately as Per the Prescribed Procedure. The Process of Purification and updating of Electoral rolls Should also continue on a regular basis.
During the workshop, experts Provided detailed training on the complete life Cycle of EVM, including machine operation, randomisation, commissioning, Polling, counting and Post-counting Procedures, along with various Prescribed Protocols.
BEL experts explained the technical Structure and security features of EVM in detail and briefed Participants about common errors during FLC and the Precautions required to avoid them.
Adequate numbers of EVM and VVPAT machines were made available at the workshop venue. BEL expert engineers conducted Practical demonstrations of machine operation and the FLC Process. Participants were Subsequently Given hands-on Practice in operating the machines and following the Prescribed Procedures. They actively Participated in the Practical training and Gained an understanding of the technical and operational aspects of EVM and VVPAT. An assessment of the Participants was also conducted after the Training.
