Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey along with Secretary-General Umesh Sinha, Director General Dharmendra Sharma and other officers of the Election Commission of India planted saplings at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) premises in the national capital on the occasion of World Environment Day.
The Commission also unveiled a booklet and inaugurated an exhibition on various eco-friendly initiatives taken by the Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officers in the States during elections.
Addressing the occasion, Election Commissioner said reduce, reuse and recycle is an integral motto of our approach for environmentally sound election management practices.
"Celebration of Environment Day every year reaffirms its importance. This year's Environment Day focus is on 'Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature' and the apt slogan "Only One Earth"," said Pandey.
He said that ECI with initiatives like digitization of various processes like online facilitation for registration of voters; Apps like Voter Helpline App, SUVIDHA portal, KYC App, cVigil, e-EPIC, PwD app, Voter Turnout App to digitize processes catering to various stakeholders; online nomination facility for candidates; avoiding single-use plastic in display materials for voter awareness; ensuring proper waste disposal management; has endeavored to ensure environment-friendly elections.
Pandey appreciated the meticulous planning and execution of disposal of biomedical waste during the Bihar Assembly elections 2020 held amidst COVID Pandemic, as an example and case study for other CEOs to emulate.
"ECI has directed all its State CEOs to ensure compliance to Plastic and Solid Waste Management rules as notified by the Government. The teams have also been asked to take due care to ensure that publicity material like flex, pamphlets, bags etc. should be as per the Government's guidelines and avoiding 'Single Use Plastics'," ECI said in a statement.
The exhibition unveiled on the occasion showcased various initiatives and innovations taken by the CEOs in ensuring green elections, like Model eco-friendly polling stations set up in Goa and Puducherry using Coconut shells, palm leaves; use of eco-friendly seed pens by polling personnel in Meghalaya, the 'Grow With Democracy' plantation drive in Assam's Kakoijana Reserve Forest where 32,000 saplings were planted in a record time of 32 minutes, are amongst some noteworthy initiatives.
( With inputs from ANI )
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