The Election Commission has again knocked on the government’s door for immediate release of funds to procure voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines, following the Opposition parties raising their pitch for abandoning electronic voting machines (EVMs) for paper ballots. In a terse letter to the law ministry, the election commission has made an oblique reference to the skepticism over the use of EVMs by the Opposition parties. “It is felt that the process of procurement of VVPATs cannot be delayed any longer given prevailing environment,” the commission said in its letter on March 22. Sources said this is the 11th reminder to the government, though EC officials did not confirm this.
The EC has asked for Rs 3174 crore from the Centre for the purchase of the machines that allow voters to see the name and symbol of the candidate they have voted for.
The results are visible for seven seconds on a paper slip that is then recorded in the machines and can in the case of any dispute be used verify the result being shown on the EVM.
Full Article: EC wants more funds to buy VVPAT machines that generate paper trail of votes | india-news | Hindustan Times.