Gangtok, August 16 (IPR): The first meeting of the District SVEEP Core Committee for East District was held today in the conference hall of District Administrative Centre, Sichey, Gangtok. The meeting was chaired by District Collector, East, Shri Ragul K, the Chairperson of the Committee. The meeting had the presence and participation of ADC (East) Shri Tushar G. Nikhare, ADC (HQ) Shri Hemant Rai, ADC (Development) of Gangtok and Pakyong, SDM (East) and SDM (HQ), BDOs, Under Secretary, Election Department, and Members of the Core Committee.
The District SVEEP Core Committee comprises ADC East, Director PIB, Head of Programme Doordarshan Gangtok, Head of Office AIR Gangtok, State Coordinator NYK, DIO East IPR, NSS Officer, Media House Correspondents, and Under Secretary Election Department.
The Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program, better known as SVEEP, is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India. Started in 2009, the programme has been directed towards preparing India’s electors and equipping them with basic knowledge related to the electoral process. The main motto of SVEEP is ‘Greater Participation for a Stronger Democracy’. SVEEP’s primary goal is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections. The programme is based on multiple general as well as targeted interventions which are designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections and learning thereof.
The District Collector briefed the Committee about the objective of SVEEP and the role of the Committee. He stressed on the need to use appropriate media campaigns to educate the masses about the summary revision of the electoral rolls and the importance of voting. He also stressed on the need to provide education and necessary assistance to people who need special support.
The ADC East apprised about initiatives being taken such as Electoral Literacy Clubs in Schools, Youth Ambassadors in Colleges, and Chunao Pathshala in the polling stations.
Members of the Core Committee presented their ideas and suggestions during the meeting.
After the SVEEP Core Committee Meeting, the District Collector convened a meeting of the EROs and AEROs and briefed them about the activities lined up for the preparation for the forthcoming summary revision of electoral rolls