SpiceJet operates India’s first biofuelpowered flight
Budget carrier SpiceJet on Monday successfully operated India’s first test flight partially powered by bio fuel. A concoction of biofuel mixed with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) powered a SpiceJet’s Q400 flight from Dehradun to Delhi. IANS
Congress and other opposition parties on Monday reiterated their demand for reverting to the ballot paper system for polls even as the Election Commission (EC) asserted that it will provide “satisfactory solution” to concerns raised over the complaints of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs). At an all-party meeting convened by the poll panel, the opposition parties also demanded a cap on party expenditure in the elections.
“We will definitely look into all the suggestions given by them and there will be a satisfactory solution to them,” chief election commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat told reporters after the meeting.
Representatives of the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) raised the EVM issue and demanded going back to the old practice of using ballot papers in the elections.
However, the Congress suggested that if reverting to the ballot paper system was not possible in the 2019 polls, the election com-
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mission should ensure a sample check for a minimum of 30% EVMs. “Malfunctioning of EVMs is a major issue. VVPATs were introduced but are not being cross-checked. We demanded that at least 30% of the votes should be cross-checked,” Congress leader Mukul Wasnik told reporters after the meeting. Similarly, the CPI(M) insisted that there should be more safeguards in the present voting system while the AAP maintained that either the count to verify EVM results with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) should be increased or elections should be conducted through ballot papers. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) asserted that they were satisfied with the EVMs.
BJP leader and Union minister JP Nadda said the EC’s effort to match EVM results with the VVPAT was a good move.
“We should think ahead. The EC has properly replied to all questions raised about EVMs and we should look forward. (Using) VVPAT is a good move and it should be taken forward,” he said.