Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Remote voting: On postal ballot for NRIs

Remote voting: On postal ballot for NRIs

Shorter term overseas migrants (प्रवासी) should be able to avail (लाभ लेना, उपयोग करना) the postal ballot system

India has the largest diaspora population, with nearly 1.35 crore non-resident Indians (अनिवासी भारतीय) spread across the globe. Many of them leave the country for short-term work and could miss out (lose opportunity; fail to take advantage of something (opportunity/chance)) on exercising some of their rights such as registering their vote in India’s Assembly or parliamentary elections. Currently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allows enrolled (नामांकन करना, दाखिला, पंजीकृत) overseas citizens to vote in person (In one’s physical/bodily presence; personally, oneself, actually present) at the polling station in the constituency (चुनाव-क्षेत्र, निर्वाचन क्षेत्र) where the person is registered as an overseas elector. The necessity (आवश्यकता, ज़रूरत) to vote in person and the costs (लागत, मूल्य मान) have, for overseas citizens, acted as a disincentive (निरुत्साह, निवारक, हतोत्साहन) for their wanting (इच्छा, चाहना, पसंद) to exercise (use, apply, employ, practise (a right)) their mandate (शासनादेश). This was evident in the numbers of such voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election — 25,606 among the minuscule (very small, insignificant, negligible) 99,844 registered electors who voted. In 2014, a committee (समिति, सलाहकार निकाय) constituted (संघटित करना, स्थापित करना) by the ECI to probe methods to enable (सक्षम करना, सहायता करना, मदद करना) overseas (relating to a foreign country) voters’ mandates concluded that proxy (प्रतिनिधि) voting was the most viable (reasonable, practical, logical, sensible, effective), though some political parties objected to the idea. A Bill was passed in the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19) to enable this but lapsed (fail, become invalid, expired, void, out of date, terminated). In 2020, the ECI approached the Government to permit NRIs to vote via postal ballots (the piece of paper used to record a vote), similar to the system already used by service voters, i.e., the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) (it will be transmitted through Electronic Means to the service voters. It enables the voters to cast their vote on an electronically received postal ballot from their preferred location, which is outside their originally assigned voting constituency. This system provides an easier option of facilitating voting by the electors as the time constraint for dispatch of postal ballot has been addressed using this system), which allows registering their mandate on a downloaded ETPB and sending it to the returning officer (A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in a constituency. The Returning Officer’s duties include accepting and scrutinising nomination forms, publishing the affidavits of candidates, allotting symbols to the contesting candidates, preparing the list of contesting candidates, preparing the EVMs and VVPATs, training polling personnel, designating counting centres, and counting the votes and declaring the result.) of the constituency .

On the face of it, allowing postal ballot use should be a good move (कदम, क्रिया) for NRIs, even if this does increase the burden (responsibility, duty, onus, obligation, liability) on embassy or consular officials. This is also a more trustworthy (acceptable, reliable, dependable) way of registering mandates rather than (instead of) appointing proxies — which is currently allowed for service personnel (people who serves in the armed forces) who are a limited number in each constituency unlike NRIs who could constitute a more substantial (considerable, appreciable, significant, much) chunk (a significant amount of) among the electorate (all the people who entitled to vote in an election) in some States. In the 2014 discussion organised by the ECI, some parties raised the question whether NRIs will get a benefit denied to internal migrant workers, but the higher costs of travel back to India, as opposed to travelling within, is a valid reason for allowing NRIs the partially electronic postal balloting facility. Several democratic countries allow for this option to their overseas citizens, but again, none has to deal with anything near the scale (degree, extent, magnitude, level) India has. The more important question to be tackled while extending the facility of voting to overseas Indians is whether longer term migrants should also be allowed to register their mandate as the idea behind limiting voters to specific constituencies on account of (because of, owing to, as a result of) their residency will become infructuous (pointless or unnecessary). Therefore, if the postal ballot system is indeed (in fact, actually, undeniably) instituted, rules must be clearly framed for voters’ eligibility on the basis of their time spent away from the country.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

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

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

2.migrant (noun as modifier)

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.avail (verb)

Hindi Meaning - लाभ लेना, उपयोग करना
English Meaning - use, utilize, employ, make use of, take advantage of.

4.move (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदम, क्रिया
English Meaning - step, action, act, measure.

5.enrolled (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - नामांकन करना, दाखिला, पंजीकृत
English Meaning - registered, joined.

6.necessity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवश्यकता, ज़रूरत
English Meaning - requirement, demand, need.

7.cost (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लागत, मूल्य मान
English Meaning - price, value.

8.disincentive (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निरुत्साह, निवारक, हतोत्साहन
English Meaning - deterrent, discouragement, counterincentive.

9.wanting (noun)

Hindi Meaning - इच्छा, चाहना, पसंद
English Meaning - desire, wish, liking.

10.mandate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शासनादेश
English Meaning - vote; vote of approval; approval, acceptance, endorsement, authorization (given by a constituency & its voters to someone acting as its representative).

11.committee (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समिति, सलाहकार निकाय
English Meaning - advisory body; committee, board, council, panel.

12.constitute (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संघटित करना, स्थापित करना
English Meaning - establish, form, create, initiate.

13.enable (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सक्षम करना, सहायता करना, मदद करना
English Meaning - assist, help, make easy, make possible, clear the way for.

14.proxy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिनिधि
English Meaning - agent, representative, trustee, delegate, spokesperson, mouthpiece.

15.constituency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चुनाव-क्षेत्र, निर्वाचन क्षेत्र
English Meaning - a demarcated area consisting of voters who elect a representative to a legislative body.

16.diaspora (noun)

English Meaning - the people who spread/scatter from their own country to places across the world. Indian diaspora constitutes NRIs (Non-resident Indians) and PIOs (Persons of Indian origins).

17.ballot (noun)

English Meaning - the piece of paper used to record a vote.

18.ballot (noun)

English Meaning - vote, poll.

19.overseas (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a foreign country.

20.miss out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - lose opportunity; fail to take advantage of something (opportunity/chance).

21.exercise (verb)

English Meaning - use, apply, employ, practise (a right).

22.in person (phrase)

English Meaning - In one’s physical/bodily presence; personally, oneself, actually present.

23.minuscule (adjective)

English Meaning - very small, insignificant, negligible.

24.proxy voting (noun)

English Meaning - a form of voting whereby a voter may delegate his or her voting power to a agent/representative.

25.viable (adjective)

English Meaning - reasonable, practical, logical, sensible, effective.

26.lapse (verb)

English Meaning - fail, become invalid, expired, void, out of date, terminated.

27.Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) (noun)

English Meaning - it will be transmitted through Electronic Means to the service voters. It enables the voters to cast their vote on an electronically received postal ballot from their preferred location, which is outside their originally assigned voting constituency. This system provides an easier option of facilitating voting by the electors as the time constraint for dispatch of postal ballot has been addressed using this system.

28.Returning Officer (noun)

English Meaning - A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in a constituency. The Returning Officer’s duties include accepting and scrutinising nomination forms, publishing the affidavits of candidates, allotting symbols to the contesting candidates, preparing the list of contesting candidates, preparing the EVMs and VVPATs, training polling personnel, designating counting centres, and counting the votes and declaring the result.

29.on the face of it (phrase)

English Meaning - apparently, seemingly, outwardly, ostensibly, at first glance, it seems (that), it appears (that), at face value, to go by appearances, by all accounts.

30.burden (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, duty, onus, obligation, liability.

31.embassy (noun)

English Meaning - An embassy is larger and more important than a consulate and is described as a permanent diplomatic mission, which is generally located in a country’s capital city. An embassy is responsible for representing the home country, for handling major diplomatic issues (such as negotiations), and for preserving the rights of its citizens abroad.

32.consulate (noun)

English Meaning - a consulate is a smaller version of an embassy and is generally located in the larger tourist cities of a country, but not the capital. Consulates (and their chief diplomat, the consul) handle minor diplomatic issues such as issuing visas, aiding in trade relationships, and taking care of migrants, tourists, and expatriates.

33.consular (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the consul or consulate in a foreign city

34.trustworthy (adjective)

English Meaning - acceptable, reliable, dependable.

35.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of.

36.service personnel (noun)

English Meaning - people who serves in the armed forces.

37.personnel (noun)

English Meaning - staff, employees, workforce.

38.substantial (adjective)

English Meaning - considerable, appreciable, significant, much.