The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Ensuring tribals have better say in electoral process
Electoral Literacy Clubs of Attappady conduct voter awareness drives at Chavadiyur, Mele Chavadiyur, Palakayur, and Elachivazhi in Pudur grama panchayat.The voting machines were taken to tribal houses and fields where they work
The Electoral Literacy Clubs of Attappady have geared themselves up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The literacy clubs and their members have begun visits to different tribal hamlets in the remote hills of Attappady with the objective of ensuring better participation of the tribespeople in the country’s electoral process.
Ignoring the scorching summer heat, the club members conducted voter awareness drives at Chavadiyur, Mele Chavadiyur, Palakayur, and Elachivazhi in Pudur grama panchayat. They introduced electronic voting machines to the voters.
The voting machines were taken to tribal houses as well as the fields where the tribespeople were engaged in work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.
District Master Trainer T. Satyan said that better results were expected from the visits to the people’s work areas. “We could meet many voters and sensitise them to the importance of exercising their franchise,” said Mr. Satyan.
Objective
“Our objective is to achieve total polling among the tribespeople. We have been working it out for the past several years,” he said.
District Collector S.
Chithra, Assistant Collector and SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) district nodal officer O.V. Alfred, Mannarkkad deputy tahsildar Jerin Johnson, and Attappady deputy tribal taluk officer M. Salim supervised the electoral awareness programmes.
The National Service Scheme (NSS) students of the EMS College of Paramedical Sciences, Malappuram, and the Electoral Literacy Club members of Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Government Arts and Science College, Attappady, jointly visited the Moolangangal and Mulli tribal hamlets on Saturday.
Tribal leader Madhavan received the students at the Mulli hamlet. The students and their teachers discussed various social issues with the tribal leader. The students showed them how to cast their votes in the upcoming elections.
New club
A new Electoral Literary Club was formed by the students of the EMS College of Paramedical Sciences.
They also explained the ways of registering new voters.
Apart from the tribal leader, Scheduled Tribes promoter Siva Prakash, college Principal Swati T., Vice Principal Thahira, NSS programme officer Vishnu P.V., NSS joint secretary Nandakumar T.P., assistant programme officer Anagha Lakshmi, Electoral Literacy Club ambassador Anandu S., and several students addressed the gathering.