CEO for Electoral Literacy Clubs
SHILLONG: In recognition to the contributions made by poll volunteers in the Lok Sabha elections, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), on Friday felicitated the youth organisations of Meghalaya Bharat Scouts and Guides (MBSG), NSS and NYK at a function held at Pine Mount Ridge.
The programme was attended by the CEO F R Kharkongor, Additional CEO R P Marak, Joint Secretary Social Welfare, C Kharkongor, officials from the election Department and youth organisations.
The CEO said the deployment of poll volunteers during the elections, has been a successful experience for young boys and girls, who enthusiastically took part in the poll process and they assisted the voters especially the persons with disabilities, pregnant women and senior citizens.
The CEO said meaningful engagement of these youth organisations will be a continuation process through the Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) set up in schools and colleges and the department will carry forward the momentum of setting up of ELCs through these youth organisations.
The CEO said it was under its Go Assist campaign that the office had engaged with leading youth organisations of the state such as Meghalaya Bharat Scouts and Guides, NYK and NSS whose youth members were successfully deployed as poll volunteers.
Secretary, Scouts and Guides looked forward to the continued engagement with the department as it was aligned with the Scout’s objective of empowering youth to power the nation and remarked that quite a few scouts and guides were disappointed in missing the opportunity to be in involved as poll volunteers the last time and hoped that further opportunity would be forthcoming for future engagements.
BD Cajee from NSS assured continued involvement with NSS through its network of members spread across colleges and universities in the state.
Joint CEO KL Nongbri and Exta Assistant
Commissioner CS Warjri spoke on the need to mainstream ELC activity through the youth organisations.
The joint CEO also said a State ELC Resource Centre is being developed to provide experiential exposure to all students on varied aspects of electoral democracy through a combination of interesting activities and hands on exercises while also harnessing on effective partnerships and outreach measures with youth organisations to create empowered voters.
Later, ELC resource books and ELC audio visual materials were released and distributed to the apex youth organizations present. The three youth organisations were also felicitated and each poll volunteer was also awarded certificates.
A pool of 1000 volunteers had been trained on accessible elections and on modules of electoral democracy
The Joint Secretary, Social Welfare, C. Kharkongor thanked the youth organisations for assisting and facilitating PWDs, weaker sections of society, pregnant women and old people through help desks and offering temporary railing to physically challenged persons and old people.