Biometric plans for panchayat polls

PATNA: The State Election Commission ( SEC) plans to use biometric technology in the upcoming panchayat polls in Bihar to check bogus voting and duplication of voters, the first such initiative in rural local bodies polls in the country, a top official familiar with the matter said.

A proposal has been sent to the panchayati raj department for approval by the state cabinet.

Notification for panchayat polls, to be held in 10 phases, is expected by the end of August. The SEC plans to hold election in 2-3 blocks in each district in every phase so that the poll exercise is completed by November.

Amrit Lal Meena, additional chief secretary (panchayati raj), said, “The proposal for using biometric system to check malpractices is in active consideration of the government and will be approved soon. This is being done on the directions of the highest authorities in the government so that authentication of voters should be done in the panchayat polls.”

Meena said voters’ authentication would be done by biometric devices and a photograph would be taken. “Real time data would be stored in the cloud, which would help in fast detection of any attempt at multiple or bogus voting,” he said.

Biometric devices, along with tabs and authentication

machines, would be installed at all booths where voters would first be asked to give their thumb impression and a photograph of the voter would be taken.

There are 2.58 lakh posts in the three-tier rural local bodies and complaints of rigging and electoral malpractices have been common.

This time, panchayat polls will be held through electronic voting machines ( EVMs) for four posts in panchayat bodies

while ballot papers would be used for election in two posts of gram kutcheries, the bodies having powers to abjudicate and resolve petty disputes at the village level.

SEC officials said the government is expected to spend Rs 28 crore on the project, to be handled by a public sector enterprise.

“Even if any voter tries to cast multiple votes at other booths in the entire block where polling is being held in the phase wise election, he/she would be easily detected as all data would be shared booth wise in real time. If there are allegations of bogus voters, each of the suspected voter would be asked to furnish their Aadhaar card or other identification document and that would be checked with the voters’ data base immediately,” said a SEC official, who has seen the demonstration of the new system.

Sources said the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited ( BECIL), a public sector undertaking with expertise in providing digital solutions, cyber security and other I-T related projects, has been roped in to implement the biometric system in the panchayat polls, officials said.

“Such a system has not been used in any part of the country in rural local bodies polls as per my knowledge,” Meena said.

On apprehensions that the new system would mean longer wait for voters in the queue, Atul Sinha, deputy director general, department of telecom, Union ministry of communications, New Delhi, said, “The biometric system would not slow down the voting process. During polls, voters are verified by their identity proof, be it election I-card or other papers, which takes 1-2 minutes. The biometric process will be much faster than that.”

Sinha, who has led various information technology projects in Bihar, said implementing the biometric system would require very less internet speed as the biometric posh machines consume less data.

In Bihar, the total number of internet subscribers stands at 39.34 million, of which 22.62 million are in rural areas while 16.72 million are in urban areas, as per data till 2019 mentioned in the Telecom Statistics of India report, ministry of communications.

Such a system has not been used in India in rural local bodies polls as per my knowledge AMRIT LAL MEENA,

Addl chief secy (panchayati raj)