Boosting ECI wings..! Community Radios get ready to bat for voters education and awareness across nation

New Delhi, April 1: In the wake of Lok Sabha Elections, scheduled in the month of April and May this year, Election Commission of India has in its initiative reached out to over 150 Community Radio stations from across the country to help educate and inform the voters. This being the first of its kind move, aims to coach and aid capacity building of Community Radios for voter education and awareness.

 

“The Community Radio is one of the best medium to reach the last voter of the country. These workshops are just the beginning to a long term and sustained engagement and Community Radio can play a vital role in motivating and mobilising the voters, enlisting the underserved voters into the electoral roll, mobilising them to go to the polling booth, educating them about their rights and responsibilities, and making them an informed and educated voter”, said Umesh Sinha, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, ECI.

Emphasising on the fact that every voter is the first representative of the country, he said that they are the soldiers and play an important role in protecting democracy. All voters across the country have the same power, he added at an event organised by India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management in partnership with Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation at the national capital.

“Elections provide a level playing field as each vote has the same power, no matter who casts it, the richest of the rich or the poorest of the poor. Community Radio can play an important role in strengthening democracy by developing content in their local dialects and deepening the process of voter education and awareness upto the grass root levels”, he asserted assuring that Community Radio Stations will now become an integral part of the voter education programme.

Inclusion of Community Radio stations in the campaign marks as recognition of the work by ECI, being done at the grass root levels by the stations. The stations will broadcast programmes in their own dialect and will develop 5 programmes each, besides broadcasting promotional material. “Community Radio station, across the country, will contribute their best for voter education”, Sinha signed off.