Kashmir's Kathua district has 3,615 disabled voters

Election authorities in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir Sunday identified 3,615 disabled voters who would be assisted while exercising their franchise in the upcoming assembly election.

"In a unique exercise the district administration of Kathua, in collaboration with the election department, social welfare department and district Red Cross Society, has identified 3,615 specially-abled or physically handicapped voters in five assembly segments," said a statement issued by the Kathua district administration.

The exercise was conducted under the Rehbar scheme of the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign to ensure facilitated participation and exercise of franchise by 100 percent of such voters.

Apart from this, over 2,000 voters aged 75 years and above were identified in order to provide them assistance to reach the polling stations and back home.

The statement said that during a survey conducted last month, it was found that not more than 10 percent of such voters turn up for balloting.

The door-to-door survey to identify such voters was conducted in the first week of October.

As many as 625 booth-level officers and polling booth area teams took part in the survey.

The survey was held to identify such voters so as to organise facilities for them, like deployment of assistants, transportation and priority at the polling booths.

All such voters will be provided with an assistant appointed by the returning officers, the statement said.

Polling for the 87 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in five phases - Nov 25, Dec 2, 9, 14 and 20.


Source : Business Standard , 16th Nov 2014