The Observer Issue 20 Vol 14

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The Observer An IIJNM publication

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the business & revenue of trophy and medal shops in B’luru | P2

Vol 20, Issue 14

By Upasana Banerjee

Initially, art events happened virtually, but there was a decline in participation.| Courtesy: G D Chandrababu. touch with them without asking for any commission.”

People who run art galleries are wondering whether the galleries will stay in business. Prof.

K.S. Appajaiah, secretary of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, said they are not making enough money to maintain the 14 galleries under the Parishath.

"Owing to the stoppage of physical operations, we are finding it difficult to pay our staff as well."

Initially, several art events

happened virtually, but there was a decline in participation. People are not using the opportunity to appreciate the aesthetics of art and paintings virtually.

Darshan Kumar Y.U., deputy curator, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), shared: “The Lalithakala Academy started a funding (programme) to promote artists, whereas the National Gallery of Modern Art couldn’t support painters financially.”

However, NGMA organized virtual talks and panel discussions to encourage artists.

Not only art galleries but students of art are also facing difficulties. They say art is supposed to be a one-on-one procedure, and communicating through video chats is complicated.

Anup K, a member of the art faculty at the Sampratishta School of Fine Arts and Design, said: “Every year, we conduct a painting exhibition for our outgoing students for appreciation purposes, but we have not been able to organize one since the pandemic broke out. We are unable to see the painting textures and strokes during online classes.”

Continued on page 2

Emotional connect missing in online adoptions Poor Internet connection is a hindering factor

By Queeneerich K. Bengaluru: The online system has reduced the waiting period for adoptive parents, but the government has failed to provide safety to abandoned children by not registering them on the system, say people connected with the process of adoption.

Gayatri Abraham, an adoption counsellor and founder of the Padme Foundation, informed The Observer: “The online system does make the adoption process more transparent and accessible.

However, what is lacking in the online method is the establish-

Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

BBMP and BDA are making plans to rejuvenate Bengaluru’s lakes, rid them of pollution | P3

Sales at galleries still open have dipped by 70%

With more than 35 art galleries already closed due to Covid-19, sales at the art galleries that are still open have declined by 70%.

Desperate for income, painters are leaving the field of art, searching for jobs that will provide them some remuneration.

G.D. Chandrababu, the owner of the Bangalore Art Hub, said: “I have arranged Bengaluru Art for Public for young artists to drop their paintings free of cost. If they get any customer, we will get in

Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs

Thursday, April 22, 2021

In pandemic, artists’ pockets empty out, galleries go vacant Bengaluru: The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis for painters and art galleries across Bengaluru.

According to a recent survey conducted by the International Council of Museums, about 95% of museums worldwide closed due to the pandemic. With art galleries shut, art fairs cancelled or postponed, young artists are distressed because they have not earned any income for months now. Art galleries across Bengaluru used to see significant footfalls due to various exhibitions, but the scene has changed since 2020 due to the pandemic..

Parimala T., manager of the Crimson Art Gallery, informed The Observer:“The condition of our art gallery is very dull. We could hardly sell any paintings.

Now the second wave has worsened.the situation.”

@theweeklyobserver

CARA’s new guidelines and efforts have decreased the waiting time for parents looking to adopt children. This has bridged the gap of adoption caused by the pandemic.| Courtesy: Amrutha Shishu Nivasa

ment of the emotional connection required... during the process of adoption. Going digital is inevitable because of the pandemic.

However, not all states can function on an online system as it depends on how the adoption agency functions.”

The Padme Foundation, she said, is trying to remedy the lack of physical presence in order to avoid an emotional disconnect.

Covid-19 has delayed adoptions, making people who want to adopt anxious. “However, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has been able to put things under a perspective," Gayatri Abraham said.

The Times Of India reported that with the adoption process relying on virtual meetings, CARA has agreed to make the 20-day matching cycle flexible.

Continued on page 3

News Briefs Govt provides Rs 4,500 cr to boost vax production

To ramp up the production of Covid-19 vaccines ahead of vaccination drive for people above 18 years starting May 1, the central government has released an advance payment of Rs 4,500 crore to vaccine makers Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech.

SC seeks anti-Covid plan from Centre The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre asking for a detailed plan about the supply of oxygen to the states, availability of beds and the antiviral drug remdesevir in hospitals.

Hospital files writ petition on oxygen supply A private hospital that specialises in Covid-19 cases has filed a petition with the Delhi HC requesting it be ordered to provide oxygen to critically ill patients immediately because it has run out of oxygen.

Agriculture exports go up by 19% in FY21 Despite an overall exports slump due to the pandemic, agriculture goods worth Rs 2.74 lakh crore were exported in the first 11 months of FY 2020-2, an increase of 18.6% over Rs 2.31 lakh crore in FY 2019-20.

Court dismisses pleas of WhatsApp and Facebook The Delhi High Court has dismissed Facebook and WhatsApp appeals against India. Competition Commission of India ordered for an investigation into WhatsApp’s latest privacy policy.

Tata Steel files suit against GFG Group Tata Steel has filed a commercial court claim in the UK against GFG Alliance, headed by British Indian steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta. In 2017, Liberty Steel had stepped in to but Tata Speciality Steel Division.

Pak must choose peace, says Afghan President Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said Pakistan is at a “crossroads”. If Pakistan chooses peace, he believes it can become a regional stabilizing force.

2

CITY

BBMP FAILS RAGPICKERS ON VRISHABHAVATHI BANKS

The Observer Thursday, April 22, 2021

Covid-19 takes shimmer off Bengaluru’s trophy biz With no events or competitions, revenues fall

By Padmini Dhruvaraj

Rag pickers living in tents on the banks of the Vrishabhavathi river have lost hope of being recognized by the BBMP. In 2011, the municipal corporation initiated a programme to issue numbered identification cards to them. The project was meant to legitimize and recognize rag picking, a measure that would protect them from harassment by police. Since the commencement of the programme, around 8,000 rag pickers have been issued identification cards, according to BBMP. But the wait of people leading a hellish existence alongside the Vrishabhavathi continues | Credit: Sakshi Kaushal

Quiz 1. Who created a weightlifting world record in the clean & jerk category with a 119kg lift at the Asian Championships?

2. Which state, on Thursday, goes to the sixth phase of assembly elections in 43 constituencies?

3. Who was arrested by the Kozhikode police in relation to the ‘Solar scam’?

4. Which city saw the death of 22 Covid patients after an oxygen leakage at a civic hospital?

5. From which country’s naval force is India buying 24 MH- 60R helicopters?

Answers on page 3

‘Online classes are not really helping young painters’

Words of the day 1.Touchstone: a fundamental or quintessential part or feature 2.Adulate: to admire or be devoted to abjectly and excessively 3.Chlamys: a short oblong mantle worn by young men of ancient Greece 4.Forefend: to prevent something unpleasant by precautionary measures 5.Purloin to steal something by a breach of trust 6.Lodestone: something that strongly attracts 7.Ebullient: having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm 8.Moxie: courage, determination 9.Savvy: to understand 10.Vendetta: an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts 11.Organoleptic: involving use of the sense organs 12.Drub: To beat severely

Bengaluru Art Hub is helping young freelance artists to drop their paintings free of cost at Bengaluru Art for Public, an in-house arrangment to give business without paying commissiion| Courtesy G.D. Chandrababu Continued from page1 hough the learning process is caught in limbo for most students, others are looking forward to it. Azien Zaidi, an art student, said: “The online mode of learning is not really helpful for young learners like me, but the lockdown has helped me to practise more and explore the different facets of painting.”

Many painters and exhibitors are working remotely to ramp up online sales until restrictions on movement and gatherings are removed. They are considering using software and virtual back-

T

ground to come to their rescue to impress buyers.

Accalimed painter Gurudas Shenoy said: “I utilized the pandemic to evolve my art, but young artists are still bearing the brunt of the pandemic. I would advise them to keep on painting with whatever raw materials they can afford. I believe good times will be back for artists.” Many renowned artists are going online.

Many art galleries in Bengaluru have donated money for the welfare of small and medium painters during the pandemic. upasana.b@iijnm.org

Bengaluru: Trophy and medal shops across places in Bengaluru have incurred losses due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.

“We had no money during the lockdown. Business was low last year and is still low. We don’t know how to get out of this terrible situation,” said Kalpana Gowda, a sales retailer at Mr Kings Trophy, Chickpet.

According to Just Dial listings, the city houses more than 100 trophy and medal stores. A lot of employees working in these stores were laid off and a few are still working on half salary.

Lalitha G, a saleswoman at Rakhra The Sports House, Malleswaram, said: “Our peak business is from March to May, and the business was hit last year during this season. We are still working on 30% salary.”

In August 2020, Kalpana got a call from her store owner asking her to come back to work. When she walked into the shop she works for, she realised four of her colleagues were laid off during the lockdown in 2020.

In 2021, business improved for trophy shops, but the second wave of Covid-19 has impacted sales which looks worrisome.

Santosh P., who owns Saga Sports and Trophies, Gandhinagar, said: “Our business depends on gatherings and competitions, but because of the virus, they are not happening. Last year after the lockdown we started our business from zero. Now it’s back to zero because of the second wave.”

The pandemic brought sporting events across the world to a standstill. One of the major sources of income for trophy stores is activities conducted in schools and colleges. Fearing the virus, educational institutes have taken a step back from large gatherings and postpned all events for a later time.

Shivananda HB, Physical Education Director at the JSS Academy of Technical Education, said: “We did not conduct any sports activities or extra curricular for the last academic year. The Visvesvaraya Technological University has also cancelled this year’s athletics meet. So we did not include trophies or jerseys this years budget” Lokesh SP., head swimming

Events are now conducted virtually leading to a rise in the demands for e-trophies| Courtesy Santosh P. coach at Jyothy School, said: “We did not allow kids to enter the pool. We didn’t organise our annual sports day either this year.”

With employees of companies working from home, their events are also conducted virtually. This has led to a rise in the demand for e-trophies and certificates.

“We have supplied trophies for corporate companies like IBM, Rolls Royce, and a few medical institutes. But this year we did not get any orders from them. All their events were virtually conducted,” said Santosh.

Event management companies that spent lakhs of rupees on trophies and certificates are also being forced to adapt to the changes, and design e-trophies.

Pooja Kaushik, Managing Director of Evento Tech Events & Training, said: “Most events are being conducted online. We are now designing e-certificates and e-trophies. We will not invest in physical trophies unless a client specifically asks for them.”

Decathlon Sports India’s annual event, Sports Utsav, has been cancelled this year. According to an employee at Decathlon, Bengaluru, the company invests more than Rs 10 lakh on medals for their annual sports fest.

Patriotism made Santosh cut his trophy import from China by 50% after the India-China suffered a face-off last year.

Gajanan Hegde, an expert in marketing and sales, said: “Trophy and medals categorise under small scale businesses. Once the virus’ peak is over, their revival will be quick. The government will not be able to help since it’s difficult for them to focus on small businesses. With the vaccination drive in place, the economy will see betterment this year.”

With the ongoing pandemic and the second wave peaking, the threat of small scale and unorganised workforce is constantly under threat; poor revenue might force shutdowns and job losses again in the city. padmini.d@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Thursday, April 22, 2021

BBMP and BDA make plans to rejuvenate Bengaluru lakes Sewage enters the water bodies through storm water drains

By Abhishek Saini Bengaluru: BDA and BBMP have started rejuvenation projects, like desilting and sewage diversion, for polluted lakes in Bengaluru to make their water fit for consumption.

Speaking to The Observer , Mahadeva Gowda, Executive Engineer, BDA East, said: “Starting from December 2020, we have initiated plans to rejuvenate the Bellandur lake and Varthur lake.

We have begun the process of desilting on these lakes.”

“BDA has allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore for Bellandur, and Rs 53 crore for Varthur,” added Mahadeva Gowda when asked about the cost of the projects.

BWSSB has set up a sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat the water from these lakes. The water is then transported to Kolar to be used for irrigation and agricultural purposes.

The BBMP has also initiated plans to reduce the pollution levels in lakes under its jurisdiction.

The storm water drain system in Bengaluru has often been blamed for contaminating the lakes in the city with pollutants and untreated waste.

“People discharge sewage waste into the storm water drains, and not the pipes built by BWSSB. This causes all the problem as the pollutants are then carried into the lakes,” said Ravi

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Quiz answers

Owing to the foam and lather gathered on its surface, the Bellandur lake has caught fire multiple times | Credit: Tarab Zaidi KV, Executive Engineer, Lakes Department, BBMP. According to reports in The Hindu, BBMP had planned to revamp and upgrade its storm water drain network in 2018.

“The government has started the ‘Pollution Free Storm Water Drain’ project. We are collaborating with BWSSB to connect the sewage to BWSSB’s trunk lines and take it to STPs, this will prevent it from entering into the lakes,” Ravi added.

The BBMP estimates the project will be completed by 2022.

Apart from this, BBMP has been running the ‘Sewage Diversion Drive’ since 2008.

Under this project, out of the 205 lakes under its jurisdiction, the BBMP has worked to move 75 lakes into the ‘Developed’ category to prevent them from getting polluted. It claims 68 out of these 75 lakes are pollution-free.

“The lakes were designed to take 1-5 million tonnes of sewage every day. But, due to rapid urbanisation in the city, some lakes receive 20-30 million tonnes, so this overflow has caused pollution

in seven lakes,” Ravi shared.

A recent study by CSIR-NEERI concluded that only 28 lakes in the city have good water quality.

It rated the water quality of lakes across Bengaluru on a ‘Water Quality Index’. Samples collected from lakes were analysed for parameters like pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, and given a value.

Based on these values, the water quality status for each lake was determined. A lake with a WQI value between 0 and 25 was classified as ‘Excellent’. The quality dropped as the value of water quality index increased.

A WQI value between 50-100 means that the water is of poor quality, however it can be used for irrigation after proper treatment. Any lake with a WQI value of 100 or more is classified as unfit for consumption.

BDA fared poorly in terms of water quality of its lakes. Four out of the five lakes maintained by the BDA suffered from poor water quality index.

With a WQI of 181, the Bellandur lake has the worst water

quality among the lakes themaintained by BDA, followed by the Varthur lake with a WQI of 114, and Kommaghatta and Chikkabanavara lakes with a WQI of 107 each.

Only Ramasandra lake, with a WQI of 81, has water that can be used after treatment.

Similarly, most of the popular lakes maintained by the BBMP like Ulsoor lake showed poor water quality levels with WQI ranging poorly between 50 to 100.

“The study is being conducted in two phases. The first phase was related to assessment of lakes. We collected samples and tested them for certain physiochemical and biological parameters. We found that the main reason for poor water quality is sewage water,” said Dr Shaik Basha, Project Leader and Principal Scientist, NEERI. For the citizens of Bengaluru the problem of pollution and contamination in lakes is not new.

“Encroachment/chemical and sewage wastes occupy this lake.

There is no way this lake can be cleaned,” said Gopi Udayakumar, in his review of the Varthur lake on Google reviews.

Another citizen, Srinivas Garige, while sharing his thoughts on the Bellandur lake on Google, wrote: “It is the most polluted lake in the city. It is not maintained properly by the government authorities.”

Phase II of the study, which suggests rejuvenation plans for these lakes, is under process.

“Phase II started 2 months back.

We will be ready with a master plan for each and every lake in the next 6 months,” added Dr Shaik Basha from NEERI. abhishek.s@iijnm.org

Virtual courts not efficient for adoptions Continued from page 1

S

warna Venkataraman, cofounder of For and Of Heart Baby and mother of an adopted nine-year-old boy, shared: “Post lockdown, CARA has been processing adoptions digitally. It has become more transparent, and encouraging parents to not give up during the process, in most cases.” Most people who want to adopt drop out after waiting for a long period.

Bharati Devi, project director at the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, said: “Virtual court hearings cannot be an efficient mode for cases of adoption because of Internet connectivity (issues). Not everyone has a strong Internet connectio. Technical glitches can be a major issue for the smooth running of a court hearing. As for now, the courts have not issued any order to make virtual hearings mandatory. Post-lockdown, adoption applications have steadily increased which does not put extreme pres-

The online system provides counselling to adoptive parents |Courtesy: Amrutha Shishu Nivasa sure on the courts.”

Advocate Avidita Prakash said: “Online methods for adoption court hearings have error. There is a need to present physical evidence and witnesses before the judge. Online methods only work for final hearings where the presentation of physical evidence is not required and the adoptive

verdict is announced.”

Bharathi from Amrutha Shishu Nivasa shared: “Online methods for adoption can work only up to the registration process, whereas verification has to be done physically as it is a crucial part during adoption as the adoptive parents need to prove that they are able to care for a child. Online systems can help in contributing only to a certain extent, while limiting it to only metropolitan cities.”

Sukanya Sitarama, project director, Asha Foundation Trust, said they did not come across cases of children being abandoned during the lockdown. However, they had several “surrendered cases” — the child was the result of a non-consensual relationship, or was born to an unwed mother, or was born out of wedlock.

If one of the biological parents dies, and the other is unavailable or unable to provide for the child due to physical, mental or social conditions, the surviving parent relinquishes the child. queeneerich.k@iijnm.org

3 Citizens’ voice Modi government has misplaced priorities The Modi government has decided to offer an advance of over Rs 4,500 crore to the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to help them boost vaccine production. But right now, the country is in dire need of oxygen cylinders. People are dying because of lack of oxygen. What is the government’s plan to increase production?

Baranjot Kaur

Discrimination by SII in the pricing of vaccine The pricing announced by the Serum Institute of India for its Covishield vaccine seems arbitrary. Differential pricing for the central and state governments shows a bias towards the Centre.

The Centre, despite being the richest government in India, pays Rs 150 per dose, whereas the state governments, which are struggling for funds, have to pay Rs 400 per dose Amna Karimi

Making citizens pay for vaccines is unfair The country is reporting nearly 3 lakh Covid-19 cases on a daily basis. Money collected for the PM CARES fund during first wave has vanished. The government is yet again trying to snatch people’s money by asking them to pay for vaccines which should be free in the first place.

Puran Choudhary

Our healthcare system has failed in a big way With India going through a worse phase than the first wave, people are unable to get treatment for their families and friends. The healthcare system is failing the country on a massive scale. Why does the government not launch a door-to-door vaccination drive in all states? If not that, at least make people living in village aware of the situation and help them understand Covid-appropriate protocols. Internet, TV and social media posts are not accessible everywhere.

Piara Dhadwar

Identity politics won’t pay BJP in Assam BJP is again banking on communal fault lines in the Assam assembly elections. What they don’t know is that it will not be easy to win a majority by talking about identity. No one has forgotten the CAA-NRC episode of last year.

Pooja Rajkumari

Team Observer Editor: Queeneerich K. Copy Editors: Padmini Dhruvaraj., Upasana Banerjee, Abhishek Saini, Queeneerich K Photo Editor: Abhishek Saini.

Reporters: Padmini Dhruvaraj, Upasana Banerjee, Abhishek Saini, Queeneerich K.

1. Mirabai Chanu 2. West Bengal 3. Saritha Nair 4. Nashik 5. United States of America

Opinion Should we dump EVMs, go back to ballots?

4

The Observer Thursday, Aprilr 22, 2021

SUPPLEMENT

Voting machines are tamper-proof and perfect for Indian elections

It’s possible to physically hack EVMs. They must make way for paper ballots

By Puran Choudhary

of buttons, make it almost impossible to By Padmini Dhruvaraj

I

cast invalid ballots,” their report said. ndia is the world’s largest democracy.

EVMs are not just safer but have also

With an electorate of more than 817

helped in increasing the vote share of

million, it would be foolish to go back

small parties. They have also widened the

I

To curtail frauds, malfunctioning of EVMs, and for greater credibility to the elec-

ndia should go back to using paper bal-

tion process, the EC introduced Voter Veri-

lots in elections. Or, at least, voters

fiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in 2013.

should be given an option.

A VVPAT machine is placed in between the

to paper ballots. It is like going back to

margin by which a party wins. Experts

India is the world’s largest democracy.

EVM and the control unit. VVPAT displays

bullock carts because cars and planes are

also say that using these technical ma- Every time there is an election, the credi-

the party’s symbol the voter votes for. How-

hijacked once in a while. Electronic voting

chines might be one of the most optimal bility of electronic voting machines (EVMs)

ever, only one booth in a constituency un-

machines (EVMs) are an evolving technol-

ways of increasing electoral power and is questioned. Experts have repeatedly

dergoes complete VVPAT verification.

ogy. We must adapt, learn and make

greater participation from the disadvan- raised concerns about EVMs. But the Elec-

Unlike EVMs, VVPATs can be easily

changes to improve their performance.

taged and the poor in the country.

tion Commission has ignored them or has

hacked through a network. Malware can be

We switched to EVMs in the first place

introduced into the VVPAT’s control unit,

In 2009, the BJP claimed the United offered unsatisfactory responses.

The EC introduced EVMs in 1982 saying

it can mislead voters by displaying the

than ballot papers. Through EVMs, we

elections because of an EVM fraud. BJP that paper ballots caused miscalculation,

symbol they voted for, and store a different

save tonnes of paper that would otherwise

leader L.K. Advani demanded the Election wastage of paper and vote tampering.

response in the main control unit.

go waste after the elections. In the 1996

Commission replace EVMs with paper bal-

Lok Sabha elections, 8,800 tonnes of paper

lots.

was used, while in 1999, 7,700 tonnes was

Congress and

used. EVMs can be used over and over

many

again. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 61

because they are much more user-friendly

Progressive Alliance won the Lok Sabha

However, the cost of conducting an elec-

Kannan Gopinathan, a former IAS offi-

tion using paper bal-

cer, informed News Click: “With VVPAT,

lots

than

nobody knows what is going into the control

other

deploying EVMs. The

unit, and now the machine also knows

political par-

amount of paper used

which button is assigned for which party.”

The

is

less

crore Indians voted. In such a massive

ties levelled

in printing newspa-

In 2017, Manoranjan Roy, an RTI activist

election process, counting ballot papers

the

pers every day is

in Mumbai, filed an RTI with EC and

could result in human errors.

charges

equivalent

Bharat Electronics Ltd and Electronics

when a BJP-

paper used once in

Corporation of India Ltd, the only two EVM

led

five years for

manufacturers in India, for the number of

Counting votes for one constituency through EVMs takes two to three hours,

same

alliance

while counting ballots takes 30-40 hours.

won in 2014.

We’ve seen multiple Bollywood movies

Parties that

where dacoits hold people at gunpoint and

perform

to

the the

elections.

Courtesy: KPN

EVMs produced from 1989-2016. According

The United States

to the poll panel’s response, it received 10

still uses the paper

lakh EVMs from BEL and 10.1 lakh EVMs

forge votes. There have been live examples

poorly in elections have always chosen to ballot system for its presidential elections.

from ECIL. However, BEL said it supplied

of booth capturing in India. During the 1991

blame EVMs.

Germany, in 2014, reintroduced the paper

19.6 lakh EVMs to EC. ECIL also said it

Lok Sabha elections, journalist Madhavan

Is there any truth in these allegations? ballot system alongside EVMs.

had manufactured close to two lakh more

Narayanan witnessed booth capturing and

Many petitions have been filed in the

Some people say EVMs can be reused

control units and more than three lakh

stuffing of votes in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh.

Supreme Court, only to be rejected. The EC multiple times and are cheap, but EVMs

extra ballot units than what was disclosed

He wrote he heard gunshots and saw bod-

had, in 2009 and 2017, challenged political have to be changed every 15 years. The Law

by the EC. These discrepancies are shock-

ies. Acting on Narayanan’s article, then

parties to show how EVMs can be tam- Commission in 2019 said Rs 4,500 crore is

ing. In recent years, the reputation of EC

chief election commissioner T.N. Seshan or-

pered. But no party could back their argu- required to buy new EVMs for the Lok

has taken a severe beating.

dered repolling in the entire constituency.

ments. Many controversies have been Sabha elections.

Digitalization is on the ascent in every

An EVM cannot be hacked by remote ac-

field. But not all diversion is the same. Elec-

votes through EVMs. An EVM permits

ing, but these are nothing in front of the cess, such as through the Internet, as it is

tions are the most important thing for any

only 240 votes per hour. Hence, stuffing of

drawbacks of ballot papers.

not connected to a network. But it is possi-

democratic country. The trust of voters in the

It is impossible to cast invalid or extra

created about EVM hacking and tamper-

votes is not possible. In ballot-paper

To boost voter confidence the EC intro- ble to physically hack an EVM by placing a

voting system is the more important than

polling, if a voter put the stamp correctly,

duced Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails sensor, replacing buttons, and changing the

convenience or cost-effectiveness. A secure

or if it touched the margins, the vote would

(VVPAT) in 2013. These allow the voter to electronic display. This can be done while it

voting system will ensure the confidence of

be deemed invalid. This resulted in dis-

see a printout of the name and the party is transported to a polling booth, during the

voters and prevent the failure of a nation.

putes at the time of counting.

for seven seconds. VVPAT machines are counting process, or years before an election.

A study conducted by political scientists

independent of EVMs. The EC can do a

In May 2017, Aam Aadmi Party MLA

Only poor countries implement EVMs so they can sell themselves to rich countries in the name of special economic zones.

Zuheir Desai and Alexander Lee from the

better job of introducing new technologies, Saurabh Bharadwaj illustrated how to

University of Rochester analyzed data from

but it is not justified to say that we should hack an ECI-EVM prototype in Parliament.

In the words of Stalin, “Those who cast

three Lok Sabha elections. “This result

go back to paper ballots. India, cannot act The EC denied Bharadwaj’s claim saying

votes in the country are nothing, but who

stems directly from the design of the ma-

in a retrograde manner.

that the machine that was hacked was a

count are everything.”

chine: Indian EVMs, with their finite menu

puran.c@iijnm.org

“lookalike”, and not a real EVM.

padmini.d@iijnm.org