Election Commission of India is celebrating 11th National Voters Day today i.e., on 25th January, 2021. Since 2011, National Voters Day has been observed on 25th January every year all across the country to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India on 25th January, 1950.
The theme for this year’s National Voters Day, ‘Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed’, envisages active and participative voters during elections. It also focuses on ECI’s commitment towards conducting elections safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main purpose of this day’s celebrations is to encourage, facilitate and maximise enrolment, especially for the new voters. Dedicated to the voters of the country, the day is utilized to spread awareness among voters and for promoting informed participation in the electoral process. New voters are felicitated and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) in the NVD functions.
This year, Honourable President of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind will be the Chief Guest at the national function being organized in New Delhi by the Election Commission of India. The event will be held at the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi and the Honourable President shall grace the occasion virtually from Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honourable Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology will grace the function as the Guest of Honour.
President Ram Nath Kovind will confer the national awards for the year 2020-21. The national award for the Best Electoral Practices will be conferred on state and district level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections in different spheres such as IT initiatives, security management, election management during Covid-19, accessible election and contribution in the field of voter awareness and outreach. The national awards will also be given to important stakeholders like national icons, CSOs and media groups for their valuable contribution towards voters’ awareness.
Sri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honourable Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology will launch the e-EPIC programme and distribute e-EPICs and Elector Photo Identity Cards to five new voters. The e-elector photo identity card is a non-editable digital version of the elector photo identity card and it can be saved in facilities like digi locker and can be printed in the PDF format. The digital version of EPICs would be available for download from the Voter Helpline app, voterportal.eci.gov.in and nvsp.in.
ECI’s Web Radio: ‘Hello Voters’ online digital radio service will stream voter awareness programmes. It will be accessible through a link on the Election Commission of India website. The programming style of Radio Hello Voters has been envisaged to match that of popular FM radio services. It will provide information and education on electoral processes through songs, drama, discussions, spots, stories of elections, etc. in Hindi, English and regional languages from all over the country.
