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Saturday 12 April 2014

Braille ballots for needy voters ; Patna

Patna district administration has taken steps to help the blind and other disabled voters of the Patna Sahib and Pataliputra parliamentary constituencies to cast their votes. The office of the district electoral officer will arrange ballot sheets in Braille script for the blind at every polling station of the two constituencies.


Patna DM cum district electoral officer N Saravana Kumar said, "The Braille ballots will be provided to the blind persons by the presiding officers so that they could read the name and party of the candidates and cast their vote accordingly. These ballots will be available at all the polling stations of Patna Sahib and Pataliputra constituencies." There are altogether 4,002 polling stations in the two parliamentary seats.


The DM added, "There is no process to identify the blind voters, so the ballot papers will be available at the polling stations in adequate number. Apart from the Braille ballot sheets, the administration will arrange ramp for disabled voters, provide facilities of drinking water, shed, sitting arrangement and electricity supply as per the direction of the Election Commission of India (ECI)."


According to district administration officials, the Braille ballot papers have been prepared by the National Blind Institution, Dehradun. Poll officials are getting training to handle Braille ballots and the blind voters in their respective areas.


"The special arrangement of Braille ballots will help the blind voters to exercise their franchise without taking help from a companion, assuring secrecy of their ballot. But the voters who are not Braille literate will still need assistance on the poll day from a registered voter from the same constituency," said the DM.


However, a district administration official said that blind voters should come forward and contact the electoral officers concerned for demonstration and training in how to cast their vote through Braille ballots. "In case the blind voters ask for training on Braille ballots, the administration will provide it in advance," the DM said.



Source : TOI , 12th April 2014

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