Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Ayes and nays: On remote EVMs for domesticmigrants

Ayes and nays: On remote EVMs for domesticmigrants

Higher turnout (उपस्थिति) is worth striving (प्रयास करना, कोशिश करना) for, but not without sufficient safeguards (सुरक्षा)

Given (दिया गया, ध्यान में रखना) the regional variations (परिवर्तन, फ़ेरबदल) in demographic (जनसांख्यिकीय) trends and economic opportunities, India has a high rate of migration, which doubled in the census (जनगणना) decade (दशक, दस साल की अवधि) of 2001-2011. Migrants often see their political and economic rights compromised (समझौता, कमजोर करना) at their place of origin and residence. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has now proposed (प्रस्ताव, प्रस्तुत करना) a mechanism (तंत्र, प्रक्रिया, प्रणाली) to facilitate (सुविधा देना) remote voting for domestic migrants. The Remote Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) prototype (model, template, sample, pattern) can be used for up to 72 constituencies simultaneously from a single, remote polling booth. The ECI has invited political parties for a demonstration (proof, verification, validation, confirmation) of the prototype on January 16. A concept note (a summary of a proposal containing a brief description of the idea of the project and the objectives to be pursued) by the Commission takes into account (be mindful, remember, consider, heed, take into consideration) the legal, operational, administrative and technological challenges at hand (imminent, close at hand, approaching, forthcoming, coming, coming soon, about to happen). Voter participation (भाग लेना, शामिल होना) is comparatively (somewhat, relatively, quite) high in India; yet, in 2019, one in three voters did not turn up (arrive, be present, attend). Going by (follow, accept, agree; adhere to, abide by) the 2017 Economic Survey (Economic Survey, presented in the Parliament ahead of the Union Budget, is the Ministry of Finance’s flagship document. The Economic Survey detailed information about the Indian economy over the past year. The Economic Survey also offers glimpses into the current state of the economy, and occasional insights into the economic outlook. Although the Constitution does not bind (impose a legal obligation on) the government to present the Economic Survey, over the years, it has become common practice for every government to present the Economic Survey before the Union Budget), there are around 14 crore internal migrants in the country, and they have to cross many hurdles (obstacle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance) to be able to vote. Anything that advances (help, assist, improve, encourage, promote) their rights must be welcomed (accept, embrace, receive). But a hurried (quick, hasty, rushed, rash, reckless) move (initiative, action, step, measure) will only do more damage to the integrity of the electoral process, which many fear is eroding ((gradually) undermine, weaken, spoil, deteriorate, destroy), and for valid reasons. The ECI’s recent conduct (behaviour, performance, actions), including in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, has been less than reassuring (promising, good, encouraging, hopeful, full of promise, optimistic, positive, heartening).

The ECI proposes to have remote voting for migrants as early as this year. While there is no technical basis for allegations (claim, accusation, charge, indictment) of fraud in the current, single-constituency, non-networked EVMs, public trust in them has never been lower than it is today. Public trust is the only strength of any electoral process. With EVMs, the voter has no way to see whether the vote is recorded as it is cast (vote, register a vote, enter a vote). The ECI’s ambitious (formidable, difficult, challenging, demanding) plan comes against this backdrop (situation, scenario, context) of public scepticism (misgiving, doubt, qualm, distrust) about its own impartiality (fairness, justness, neutrality, equity) and, less justifiably (legitimately, rightly, somewhat, relatively, comparatively), about the reliability (trustworthiness) of the EVMs. The proposed plan will add more questions to the mix, including some fundamental ones such as about the correlation (similarity, likeness, resemblance, comparison) between citizenship and territoriality (something important (status/rank/ownership/occupancy) related to a territory). In an era of unprecedented (not done or experienced before) human mobility (transportability), the idea of portable (transportable, movable, transferable, mobile) voting rights is worth considering, but it will have far-reaching (extensive, profound, radical, comprehensive, sweeping, all-embracing) ramifications (result, outcome, effect, repercussion, consequence) that should be accounted for (consider, think, regard, reckon, look on). Defining a migrant who is eligible to vote remotely is going to be controversial — for instance (as an example), when does a migrant at a place become a resident? Even the ECI had expressed doubts about the practicality (feasibility) of remote voting rights for migrants in the past. Meanwhile, there is also an active demand for voting rights for Non-Resident Indians. Higher turnout is worth striving for, but not without sufficient safeguards.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.domestic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घरेलू
English Meaning - existing/residing inside a particular country.

2.migrant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवासी
English Meaning - a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions.

3.turnout (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपस्थिति
English Meaning - participation, attendance. (Voter turnout refers to the number or percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballots).

4.strive (for) (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रयास करना, कोशिश करना
English Meaning - try, aim, attempt, aspire, work towards.

5.safeguard (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सुरक्षा
English Meaning - protection, security.

6.given (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - दिया गया, ध्यान में रखना
English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

7.variation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिवर्तन, फ़ेरबदल
English Meaning - difference, dissimilarity, disparity, contrast.

8.demographic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जनसांख्यिकीय
English Meaning - the statistical study/structure of populations, especially human beings.

9.participation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भाग लेना, शामिल होना
English Meaning - involvement, engagement, taking part.

10.census (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनगणना
English Meaning - an official survey, particularly of a population.

11.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस साल की अवधि
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

12.compromise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - समझौता, कमजोर करना
English Meaning - weaken, impair, undermine.

13.propose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रस्ताव, प्रस्तुत करना
English Meaning - present, put forward, suggest.

14.mechanism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तंत्र, प्रक्रिया, प्रणाली
English Meaning - procedure, process, system, method, technique.

15.facilitate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुविधा देना
English Meaning - lessen, reduce, make easy.

16.migration (noun)

English Meaning - the movement of people within the borders of the same country or across international borders in order to find work or better living conditions.

17.Aye (noun)

English Meaning - Yes; a vote to support something; a positive vote.

18.Nay (noun)

English Meaning - No; a vote to oppose something; a negative vote.

19.remote voting (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to the process of enabling a voter to cast his or her franchise from any polling station in the country - and not just the one they are registered in.

20.prototype (noun)

English Meaning - model, template, sample, pattern.

21.demonstration (noun)

English Meaning - proof, verification, validation, confirmation.

22.concept note (noun)

English Meaning - a summary of a proposal containing a brief description of the idea of the project and the objectives to be pursued.

23.take into account (phrase)

English Meaning - be mindful, remember, consider, heed, take into consideration.

24.at hand (phrase)

English Meaning - imminent, close at hand, approaching, forthcoming, coming, coming soon, about to happen.

25.comparatively (adjective)

English Meaning - somewhat, relatively, quite.

26.turn up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - arrive, be present, attend.

27.go by (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - follow, accept, agree; adhere to, abide by.

28.Economic Survey (noun)

English Meaning - Economic Survey, presented in the Parliament ahead of the Union Budget, is the Ministry of Finance’s flagship document. The Economic Survey detailed information about the Indian economy over the past year. The Economic Survey also offers glimpses into the current state of the economy, and occasional insights into the economic outlook. Although the Constitution does not bind (impose a legal obligation on) the government to present the Economic Survey, over the years, it has become common practice for every government to present the Economic Survey before the Union Budget.

29.hurdle (noun)

English Meaning - obstacle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance.

30.advance (verb)

English Meaning - help, assist, improve, encourage, promote.

31.welcome (verb)

English Meaning - accept, embrace, receive.

32.hurried (adjective)

English Meaning - quick, hasty, rushed, rash, reckless.

33.move (noun)

English Meaning - initiative, action, step, measure.

34.integrity (noun)

English Meaning - honesty, probity, correctness; morality, fairness; rationality, impartiality.

35.Non-Resident Indian (NRI) (noun)

English Meaning - A ‘Non-resident Indian’ (NRI) is a person resident outside India who is a citizen of India.

36.erode (verb)

English Meaning - (gradually) undermine, weaken, spoil, deteriorate, destroy.

37.conduct (noun)

English Meaning - behaviour, performance, actions.

38.reassuring (adjective)

English Meaning - promising, good, encouraging, hopeful, full of promise, optimistic, positive, heartening

39.allegation (noun)

English Meaning - claim, accusation, charge, indictment.

40.cast (verb)

English Meaning - vote, register a vote, enter a vote.

41.ambitious (adjective)

English Meaning - formidable, difficult, challenging, demanding.

42.backdrop (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

43.scepticism (noun)

English Meaning - misgiving, doubt, qualm, distrust.

44.impartiality (noun)

English Meaning - fairness, justness, neutrality, equity.

45.justifiably (adverb)

English Meaning - legitimately, rightly, somewhat, relatively, comparatively.

46.reliability (noun)

English Meaning - trustworthiness.

47.add something into the mix (phrase)

English Meaning - to include something in an ongoing situation/discussion.

48.correlation (noun)

English Meaning - similarity, likeness, resemblance, comparison.

49.territoriality (noun)

English Meaning - something important (status/rank/ownership/occupancy) related to a territory.

50.era (noun)

English Meaning - time, period, epoch.

51.unprecedented (adjective)

English Meaning - not done or experienced before.

52.mobility (noun)

English Meaning - transportability.

53.portable (adjective)

English Meaning - transportable, movable, transferable, mobile.

54.far-reaching (adjective)

English Meaning - extensive, profound, radical, comprehensive, sweeping, all-embracing.

55.ramification (noun)

English Meaning - result, outcome, effect, repercussion, consequence.

56.account for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - consider, think, regard, reckon, look on.

57.for instance (phrase)

English Meaning - as an example.

58.practicality (noun)

English Meaning - feasibility.