Electoral Bonds are undemocratic, have killed transparency and legitimised Crony Capitalism: former CEC

Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi, a doctorate in communication and social marketing, is known for expressing his opinion freely and fearlessly. He headed the CEC from July  2010 to June 2012 the time when EVM controversy started and was the one who proposed and implemented VVPAT to address the issues raised by various political parties.

During his two year tenure he planned and supervised several state assembly elections, and introduced many electoral reforms and introduced a voter education division and an expenditure monitoring division in the Election Commission. He has also authored a book titled ‘An Undocumented Wonder – the Making of the Great Indian Election’, that describes the enormity and complexity of Indian elections.

He also set up India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM) and launched National Voters Day. A Haryana-cadre 1971 batch IAS officer, Quraishi held significant posts in the Haryana government as well as in the Union government. In 2016 he was awarded  Honorary Fellowship of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union, He spoke to VIJAY THAKUR on the future roadmap for the Election Commission and challenges to face elections in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Excerpts:

Question

You have recently called for a ban on opinion polls. Why you are not in favour of Opinion Polls?

Answer

There is no issue if the Opinion Polls are honest. But in a situation where the credibility of media has gone down, you can buy editorial, you can buy news item. That is why all political parties had approached ECI, which we agreed and told them to make a law against opinion polls. After that Law Ministry sent us a draft for banning opinion and exit polls. The Election Commission vetted it. But surprisingly after a fortnight, we noticed that they only banned exit polls and left opinion polls. They demanded, we supported it, but when it came to making an act, they ignored it.

Why we are against Opinion Polls is the trend of paid news. In a situation where we are reporting hundreds of cases of paid news, we cannot rule out the ‘bogus’ opinion polls. And if a bogus opinion poll is projected it would influence public opinion and would affect the purity of the elections. So the banning of Opinion Polls is must for a free and fair election.

Question

To address the EVM apprehensions, the Election Commission has introduced VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) machines. Now you suggested counting of votes from VVPAT slips instead of EVMs.

Answer

I was heading the CEC when VVPAT was introduced in 2010. When EVM controversy was quite high in 2010, we had an all-party meeting where all political parties agreed to VVPAT. In 2011 we pad dry run of the machine in five towns in different geographical regions, which encountered some errors and sent back for further improvement. A year later, another mock trial was run in the same towns which were successful. Finally, we decided to introduce it in some bye-elections. After its successful run, we finally ordered 20 lakh VVPAT machines and that’s why VVPAT machine was used in 2019 elections.

Despite all that some political parties are still questioning EVM and demanding voting through ballot papers. I suggested two models. First was that the winner and runner up may appeal two machines where they suspect something.

The second model was to do the reverse, instead of counting on EVMs, count on VVPAT machines. Actually counting of VVPAT and EVM machines take nearly 20 to 25 minutes. So instead of counting on EVM lets count VVPAT slips, both would take a similar time, but the confidence level would go up among the contesting candidates. Let's do it on a pilot basis in some constituency. Reversing the process, which means counting VVPAT slips would bring enhance and transparency and credibility to the electoral system.

Question

But by doing so, aren’t you actually advocating for a return to paper ballots?

Answer

Counting of ballot papers is a long process, it was a big paper sheet, opening it checking it and then counting takes a much longer time. Whereas VVPAT slip is a 3-inch slip and hardly takes much time. Counting through a VVPAT machine or through an EVM, both take almost the same time. So in the end there would not be much difference whether we count EVMS or VVPAT slips. I discussed it with some officials of the ECI and suggested these change in the process to increase the credibility of the electoral system.

 

Question

What are your views on the issue of electoral bonds?

I am strongly of the view that Electoral Bonds are undemocratic, have killed transparency, legitimised Crony Capitalism. The scheme introduced by the present government has apparently not only legalized the crony capitalism but also taken away transparency from political funding.

Earlier no company could donate more than 7.5% of their last three years profit unfortunately this limit has been taken away and now a company could donate almost 100% of their profits. Obviously, there is no free lunch. If a company is giving its huge profit, it would definitely expect something back and may influence the government’s decision in their favour.

So the introduction of Electoral bond is definitely a backward step, taken pretending to be a forward step. In the name of bringing transparency,  in fact, they killed transparency. Earlier all donations more than Rs 20,000 was to be brought in the knowledge of the Election Commission. Today even if the donation is of Rs 20 crore, election commission would not come to know the source of the funding.

Question

The EC recently conducted the Bihar Assembly polls successfully amid the Covid pandemic which continues to rage. There are some crucial state polls lined up for early next year. What is your take on elections in Covid times?

 

Answer

Election Commission has done excellent in Bihar assembly elections. It is for the first time that the Commission held four press conferences to bring more transparency. All the detailed guidelines and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) were scientific, intelligent and based on global experience. We hope it would do the same in the coming elections. India’s Election Commission is always learning and improving itself. EC must have done post mortem of the Bihar assembly elections and I hope it would further improve its guidelines based on its Bihar experience.

Ends.

 

Band, Baja, Baarat gang, which trains children to strike in marriage parties

Band, Baja, Baarat gang, which trains children to strike in marriage parties

 

Delhi Police have busted a unique gang of criminals, which used to hire children from 9 to 15 years for a year by giving Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 12 lakhs to their poor parents, train them to steal cash and jewellery from marriage parties in Delhi and its adjoining states.  

The gang members used to target big marriage party in the NCR (National Capital Region) of Delhi, send the trained children properly dressed as to the wedding venues and look for a proper opportunity to steal cash or jewellery. There another supporting team of the gang, which helped children to flee from the scene immediately after the crime is committed.

If senior officers of the Delhi Police are to be believed, the gang has committed several such crimes in Delhi and its area, most of which went unreported since people avoided reporting it to police until it is a ‘big theft’.

The gang leader, Sandeep alias Raka used to hire good looking children between 9 to 15 years of age from small villages of Rajgarh District of Madhya Pradesh ensuring their poor parents to pay Rs 10 to 12 lakhs per child depending on their skills for a year.

 

Once a child is hired, they are flown to Delhi and trained for a month on how to commit thefts at weddings and how to mingle with the people at the venue. They are told not to divulge their identity and that of their gang members in case they are caught," Delhi Police revealed.

 

The Children training include table manners, use of small-small English sentences, apprise them of urban lifestyle. The children are given costly party wear dresses so as they appear children of a rich family.

Side by side, the gang members also train them in the art of pick-pocketing and stealing costly jewellery during marriage party.

They were trained to dress well, mingle with guests, told to enjoy dinner and then wait patiently for a right opportune time to strike. “In a swift move, they stole the gift bags containing jewellery and cash and thereafter quickly vanished from the venue,"  Shibesh Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Delhi Police explaining their Modus Operandi.

Even the gang members were not very old and were around 20 year age group. The arrested accused have been identified as Sandeep (26), Hansraj (21), Sant Kumar (32), Kishan (22) and Bishal (20)

According to Delhi Police, gang members disclosed they take children (9 to 15 years) from small village – Gulkheri, District Rajgarh of M.P on lease for one year from their parents for commissioning of a crime. Once a kid is auctioned, the money is handed over to the parents in two or more instalments.

A the kid is also made mentally and physically tough not to divulge his identity and that of his gang members in case he is arrested. He is also instructed to put on pretty clothes to attend the function and also eat the snacks to dispel any suspicion.

The supporting gang comprises adult men and women as well who usually stay in rented houses and drop the children off at functions and sometimes wait outside on three-wheelers and motorcycles.

The women gang members take care of the kids like their own. The real parents are regularly informed about the children's well-being.

The gang leaders admitted that they have committed five thefts in the area of Kapashera, Mayapuri and Moti Nagar in Delhi and three thefts in Punjab and Chandigarh. The interrogation is going on and police is hopeful to trace more such incident of the gang as 12 hours of police interrogation is not enough to make them divulge all the incidents.

Delhi Crime Branch formed a team of Special Task Force when it reported a lot of incidents in Delhi & NCR where a gang is committing theft at wedding venues during wedding ceremonies stealing bags containing Shagun/Jewellery/Cash.

The team started analyzing all the available video footages of the wedding ceremonies and deployed informers at various prominent Banquet Halls, Farmhouses, where wedding ceremonies are held, together with intelligence about the suspects. It zeroed in three suspects including two juveniles.

The video/ CCTV footage revealed the suspects before committing theft spent considerable time at the venues, making themselves comfortable and familiar with the guests.

They were never in a hurry, had their dinner there and patiently waited for the opportune time to strike. The STF team then started keeping a close watch on the movements of the culprits, who were found involved in the incidents previously with similar modus-operandi, especially, the gang which operates from Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh and laid traps at farmhouses and banquet halls where the wedding ceremonies are held. The team also visited the three villages in Rajgarh district of M.P – Gul Kheri, Sulkheri and Kadiya to identify the thieves involved in the incidents.

The team also tried to identify the culprits through electronic surveillance.  Efforts of the team bore fruits when, on Dec 2, 2020, a tip-off was received on which a raid was conducted and the team successfully arrested five accused and apprehended two juvenile offenders when they were leaving Delhi and moving for their village in M.P.

 

The details of the accused

1.      Accused Sandeep S/oJagdish, Age-26 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill- Gulkheri, PS- Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He has studied up to fifth class. He has two brothers and two sisters. He is married and has two children. He is the gang leader and active in committing crime since 2010. He is proclaimed offender.

2. Accused Kishan S/oSikko, Age- 22 Yrs, permanent resident of Vill- Kadia, PS- Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one sister.

 

3. Accused Sant KumarS/o Dev Narayan, Age- 32 yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one brother. He is married and has three sons.

4. Accused Bishal S/oBhagat Singh, Age-20 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. His father expired in his childhood.

5. Accused HansrajS/o Manohar, Age- 21 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda,Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one brother. He is married and has three children.

Ends.

A year after Corona spread, India finally wakes up TO issue SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for Covid-19 pandemic

 

A year after Covid-19 killed over 1.38 lakh people, infected over 95 lakhs in India, The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare woke up and issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on the preventive and precautionary measures to be followed to contain the spread of COVID19 in the country.

Let people decide whether it is too early or too late.

The Ministry has designed a protocol to contain the spread of Covid-19 from the people who are visiting marketplaces in a large number for their daily needs, shopping, entertainment, and food .

Amid COVID pandemic, with the gradual opening of economic activities, markets are witnessing high footfalls. Such large gatherings, without observance of COVID19 appropriate behaviour, have the potential to spread Coronavirus disease.

This SOP document outlines various generic precautionary measures to be adopted in addition to specific measures to be ensured at marketplaces. These guidelines shall be applicable to both retail and wholesale markets. Some of the bigger markets may also have malls/ hyper/ supermarkets in them.  

For such establishments, the guidelines issued earlier by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/4SoPstobefollowedinShoppingMalls.pdf) shall apply.

For restaurants, within marketplaces, the earlier guidelines issued by the Ministry (https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/3SoPstobefollowedinRestaurants.pdf) shall apply.

Similarly, for offices, religious places/places of worship, training institutes, yoga institutes and gymnasiums, cinema halls/theatres and any other specific activities which are part of these markets or are situated within the market complex, specific guidelines issued from time to time by the Ministry shall be applicable.

Market places in containment zones shall remain closed. Only those outside containment zones will be allowed to open up.

Protecting vulnerable populations

Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. Market Owners Associations shall be advised accordingly.

Employees who are at higher risk i.e. older employees, pregnant employees and employees who have underlying medical conditions must take extra precautions.

The Market Associations shall be advised that such persons should not be exposed to any front-line work requiring direct contact with the public.

Promoting COVID Appropriate Behaviour

Simple public health measures are to be followed to reduce the risk of COVID-19. These measures need to be observed at all times by shop and establishment owners, visitors, and workers.

These measures include:

i. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet to be followed as far as feasible.

ii. Use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory.

iii. Practice frequent hand washing with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) even when hands are not visibly dirty. Use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (for at least 20 seconds) can be made outside shops and other places wherever feasible.

iv. Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practise of covering one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue /handkerchief / flexed elbow and disposing of used tissues properly.

v. Self-monitoring of health by all and reporting any illness at the earliest to state and district helpline.

vi. Spitting shall be strictly prohibited.

vii. Installation & use of AarogyaSetu App shall be advised to all.

5. Maintaining a healthy environment at marketplaces

In normal times, markets are usually crowded with high footfalls, suffer from lack of adequate

sanitation amenities and have poor hygiene conditions. To prevent the risk of transmission of

COVID, it is crucial that a healthy environment is maintained at marketplaces.

 

This includes:

 

i. Prior to resumption of daily activities, all work areas inside the shop shall be sanitized (using 1% Sodium Hypochlorite solution) by shop owners.

ii. Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently touched surfaces (doorknobs/handles, elevator buttons, handrails, chairs, tabletops, counters, etc.) and floors, walls, etc. to be done before the opening of shops, at the end of the day and at other appropriate times.

iii. Entrance to the shops to have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) arrangement.

iv. Where cars are repositioned by parking lot employees, proper disinfection of steering, door handles, keys, etc. of the vehicles should be undertaken by the owner before the vehicle is used again.

v. Public utility areas and open spaces shall be sanitized with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite solution. This shall be done on a regular basis.

vi. Deep cleansing of the toilets, handwashing and drinking water stations shall be done at least 3-4 times daily.

vii. The market associations shall facilitate maintaining a healthy environment of public utility areas and open spaces through their own means and through local urban bodies/civic agencies.

 

Detailed guidelines are available at

https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Guidelinesondisinfectionofcommonpublicplacesinclud

ingoffices.pdf

Planning for COVID related appropriate behaviour at marketplaces

Self-regulating COVID appropriate behaviour in marketplaces

COVID appropriate behaviour in marketplaces may be self-regulated by Market Associations through a number of measures such as:

i. Creation of a Sub-Committee for each market to facilitate and monitor implementation of COVID appropriate behaviour in marketplaces (within shops and establishments as well as outside).

ii. Mask dispensing kiosks at Government approved rates may be set up at entry points and parking lots.

iii. Provision of distribution of free masks for those who cannot afford.

iv. Establishing hand washing stations in public utility areas and ensuring the availability of soap and water. Use of foot-operated taps and contactless soap dispensers is recommended.

v. Providing mass thermal screening provisions at the entry/ access points to the market.

vi. Procuring thermal guns, sanitizers, disinfectants for sanitization of public utility areas.

vii. Placement of IEC materials and signages regarding COVID appropriate behaviour in prominent locations.

Ensuring COVID appropriate behaviour by Enforcement Agencies.

Where the self-regulatory approach fails or lacks impact, the planning shall also entail taking enforcement actions, wherever warranted. This may include:

i. Levying of fines/penalties on defaulters for not wearing mask/face cover, or for not following physical distancing norms.

ii. Exploring the option of allowing markets/shops to open on alternate days

iii. Closure of markets in case a larger number of cases are getting reported which are found to be having epidemiological links with the market by the administration.

Planning for ensuring COVID appropriate behaviours by shop owners/utilities operating in the market

Owners shall ensure:

i. Physical distancing of a minimum of 6 feet inside and outside the shops/utilities, specific markings on the floor may be made.

ii. Queue management inside and outside the shops/utilities.

iii. They shall deploy sufficient personnel to monitor the queue as per physical distancing norms.

iv. Keep provision of triple-layer masks/ face covers for clients entering shops/utilities without masks

v. Provisioning of hand sanitizers at the entry of the shop/establishment for sanitizing the hands of the visitors. Thermal screening provisions, to the extent feasible, for monitoring of body temperature of workers and clients.

vi. Suitable arrangements for contact-less payment, wherever applicable.

Ensuring ventilation

i. As far as feasible, natural ventilation must be ensured and use of small enclosed spaces must be discouraged.

ii. Circulation of outdoor air needs to be increased, as much as possible, by opening windows and doors, using fans, or other methods.

iii. For air-conditioning/ventilation, of closed enclosures, the guidelines of CPWD shall be followed which emphasizes that the temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-300 C, relative humidity should be in the range of 40-70%, intake of fresh air should be as much as possible and cross ventilation should be adequate. Air handling unit needs to be cleaned prior to switching on.

Crowd management

Crowd density does not remain the same throughout. It usually peaks during evening hours on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, marketplaces are crowded for most of the day till late in the evening. Planning should specifically factor-in requirement for these peak days/ hours. Several strategies can be worked out by the law enforcing agencies in collaboration with Market Associations to manage the crowd.

 

These include:

i. Engaging Civil Defence volunteers/ Home Guards/ volunteers etc to regulate the crowd.

ii. Access control at parking lots for limiting vehicle entry.

iii. Separate entry and exit, if feasible, with unidirectional flow of visitors.

iv. Roads within the marketplaces may be made vehicle-free (including cycle/ electric rickshaws) and secured only for pedestrians/bicycles as far as possible.

v. Strict penal action against illegal parking on market roads may be taken by law-enforcing authorities.

vi. Vehicle may only be allowed to be parked in assigned parking lots. Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises – duly following physical distancing norms to be ensured.

vii. CCTV monitoring may be considered to detect overcrowding.

viii. Staggered time of shops/utilities thereby allowing them to remain open for longer duration may be explored.

ix. Effective crowd management in specific cases of local metro rail stoppages at stations directly feeding into markets.

x. Provision for online booking of groceries/ items and delivery at doorstep must be encouraged. The staff for home deliveries to be screened thermally by the vendors prior to allowing home deliveries.

xi. Incentive/discounts for those who shop during non-peak hours may be considered.

6.6 Creating awareness

i. Provisions must be made for the display of Posters/standees/AV media on preventive measures against COVID-19 at prominent places in the market area. Do’s and Don’ts also to be displayed at vantage points.

ii. Recorded messages on precautionary measures and COVID appropriate behaviour may be played through AV systems installed in the market premises.

iii. The mobile application or website of the shops, if available, must display preventive measures for COVID-19 at their landing page. The website/ Mobile application shall inform the visitors on self-monitoring of health and not visit the market if suffering from symptoms of Covid-19.

iv. Display State Helpline numbers and also numbers of local health authorities at prominent places.

6.7. Making available COVID related supplies

i. Appropriate arrangements for personal protection devices like face covers/masks, and other logistics like hand sanitizers, soap, sodium hypochlorite solution (1%) etc. shall be made available by shop owners for their employees as per requirements. The Market Associations shall procure the same for sanitization of public utility areas.

ii. Provide an adequate supply of calibrated thermal guns.

iii. Ensure availability of covered dustbins and trash cans in sufficient numbers to manage waste as per CPCB guidelines (available at: https://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/Projects/BioMedical-Waste/BMWGUIDELINES- COVID_1.pdf)

7. Maintaining healthy operations at marketplaces

i. Shop owners, employees and visitors living in containment zones shall not be allowed entry into marketplaces.

ii. At the entry point of shops, all employees/ visitors to undergo mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening. Only asymptomatic employees /visitors shall be allowed inside shops.

iii. All employees/visitors to be allowed entry only if using face cover/masks. The face cover/mask has to be worn at all times inside and outside shops.

iv. Staggering of visitors to be done for maintaining physical distancing of a minimum of6 feet, when queuing up at the time of entry.

v. Number of customers inside the shop to be kept at a minimum, to maintain the physical distancing norms.

vi. Seating arrangement inside shops, if any, to ensure 6 feet between chairs, benches etc. as far as feasible.

vii. Number of people in the elevators shall be restricted, duly maintaining physical distancing norms. viii. Use of escalators with one person on alternate steps may be encouraged.

ix. The shop keeper/ staff to perform handwash/use of hand sanitizer frequently

ENDS.