Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R S Gopalan Tuesday asked the district authorities to effectively counter any misinformation campaign on social media about Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which will begin in the state from May 30.
The CEO issued such direction while presiding over a preparatory meeting with Nodal Officers, Deputy Collectors (Elections) and District Information and Public Relations Officers (DIPROs) of all districts, through virtual mode.
“The CEO directed all district officers to immediately deal with any misinformation being spread on social media regarding the SIR. The Information and Public Relations Officers of each district will keep a close watch on social media platforms to ensure that no misleading information or rumours are spread on social media regarding the voter list revision process,” Gopalan said.
The CEO said that if any misinformation is found, the administration will immediately present its truth and refute it.
He asked the district officials to prepare special strategies to make the door-to-door survey process transparent, simple and free from rumours during the SIR process.
The CEO also directed all the district officers to make the upcoming SIR programme more efficient and error-free. He held a detailed discussion on how to simplify the process of registration of new voters, correction of errors and migration. He asked them to be vigilant so that no eligible voter is affected by this campaign, an official statement said.
The CEO said that all the enumeration forms intended for the preparation of the voter list will be made available in the local Odia language, so that the common people in the villages can easily understand it. Along with this, people will be made aware of the upcoming door-to-door enumeration programme so that they provide their correct information, the CEO said.
Gopalan also suggested that the 1950 toll-free election helpline number will be widely publicised for public assistance. Through this number, citizens can get all the information related to the voter list and can also book a call to discuss with the booth-level officer (BLO) of their area, he said.
The DIPROs were also given the responsibility of creating widespread awareness among the public about the voter registration process.
Deputy CEO Laxmi Prasad Sahu has advised the Media Cell, Social Media Cell Heads and DIPROs of all the districts on how to widely publicise it through local media and social media.
Deputy Collectors (Elections) and Nodal Officers have been advised to work in good coordination between the Election Department and the District Administration in each district. The meeting also resolved to further expedite the application process through online and to activate the booth-level officers, the statement said.
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