Partnering with government: Gujarat experience

1. Partnering with government: Gujarat experience Anita Karwal CEO, Gujarat

2. KABBP Endline Survey • Knowledge Attitude Behavior Beliefs Practices Survey • Helped gauge women’s participation issues to some extent • Conducted after General Assembly elections 2012 • During February-March 2013 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

3. Objectives of the Study The precise objectives of the study are: • To evaluate the enrolment status of electors. • To study the reasons for participation and non-participation of the voters in the Assembly elections. • To study the impact of interventions of the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral Officer on electors. • To assess the efficacy of SVEEPon Knowledge, Attitude, Behaviour, Belief and Practices (KABBP) amongst electors and evaluate its impact on voter turnout.

4. SAMPLE • 6,414 electors • From 104 polling booths • Taken from one Assembly Constituencies from each of the 26 districts • Represented by little more than 60 electors each • Contacted personally by 52 field investigators for collection of primary data

5. Reasons for voting in the election (5491/6414)

6. Reasons for not voting in the election (923/6414)

7. Sources / Channels for election related message / information

8. Activities participated in prior to election

9. Involving and Collaborating with Govt Departments

10. Participating State Govt. Departments Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

11. Non-participating State Govt. Departments Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

12. Objectives for Collaboration • To tap on the existing resources and reach of the department for voter education • For registration, particularly of youth and women. • For making efforts to includeexcluded groups • For ensuring all the officers/ employees of that department and their eligible family members are registered • To display/educate/flash election material at events organised by departments and ULBs Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

13. Education Department • Mandatory linking of voter registration with College admissions since April 2011 • Appointment of Designated Officers – details on CEO website. • Appointment of District Cluster coordinators for coordinating the SVEEP and registration activities • Mid-Day-workers trained to facilitate registration of young female voters’ • Collaboration with NSS and NCC • MahilaSamakhya Society present in 12 districts/4500 villages – have taken up electoral and democratic process as one of their 5 empowerment issues Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

14. Discussion forums with students facilitated by Education Dept. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

15. Education department - continued • Adult Literacy tools for electoral literacy • Campus Ambassadors • School Ambassadors • Young Voters festival • NVD Quiz competitions • Participation in NVD • Message Carriers – Sankalpa Patras • BLOs Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

16. Women & Child Development Department • Anganwadiworkers trained to facilitate registration of young female voters' for increasing their electoral participation. • Have undertaken specific activities to attract female voters to register, and informing them how married women can register. • The use of satellite communication through BISAG to reach out to Aanganwadi workers and also the beneficiaries of Anganwadis. • Alphabetical lists display and facilitation at Aanganwadi • Mobilizing young women for registration • Supporting the BLOs in house to house verification Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

17. Health & Family Welfare Department • ASHA workers, ANM trained to facilitate registration of young female voters' and increasing their electoral participation. • E- Mamta system – utilised for sending voter education messages to its beneficiaries. • ASHA workers utilized for outreach purposes. • Display of Voters awareness publicity material on PHCs and Sub Centers which create a good impact on female voters • Every Medical Colleges, Nursing Colleges, Ayurvedic, Homepathy and NatuoropathyColleges have Designated Officer for linking voter registration with admissions and for ongoing facilitation to students. • Circular issued on 8-10-13 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

18. Water Supplies Department • The PaniSamiti is active in 8000 villages and is well structured and effectively trained. • These samitis have active female members • They help systematically identify those members who are unregistered, motivate them to register with the help of BLO of concerned area. • Dissemination of the message of voter awareness for voter turn out as prepared and handed over by the CEO office, in all these villages. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

19. Social Justice and Empowerment • Demonstration of Braille facility in EVMs at various PSL • Carrying our message for voter registration through their registered bodies for the differently-abled • They have database of all inmates of old age homes, women’s homes, orphanages, etc. This was systematically collected and checked for registration with their help. • Providing wheel chair facilities on Poll day Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

20. Urban Development Department • The marriage and birth Registrar is a designated officer of the ULB. Circular to link such registration with voter registration. • The property tax information of the entire state in urban areas is computerized and contains information of Telephone Number too – examine for sending bulk SMS for voter awareness. • All the 8 Municipal Corporations instructed to put a Moving Message Display Board dedicated to SVEEP messages. • The RWAs database is prepared by department and they help in locating missing voters and in placing posters in every society giving details of their polling station address. • The Corporations and Municipalities also sponsor the publicity material for voter’s awareness, and hoardings. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

21. GIS based posters at every society Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

22. Urban Development Department • Exhibiting of Helpline number prominently on all Urban Transport including BRTS. • Exhibiting of Helpline and registration facilities prominently in all recreations places maintained by Corporation, Municipality such as Gardens, Parks, Gym etc. • Giving election related services from Citizen Civic Centers. • Wall painting competitions in the city to raise awareness. • Circular for cooperation issued on 29-11-13 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

23. Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department. • There are 2.4 lakhs self help groups (SHGs) in the state with 28 lac female members. • Dept. helped ensure all the 28 lakh female members and their eligible family members register in the voter list. • Their training is done simultaneously through SATCOM. Training on Voters' Awareness as a part of this training programme. • The Talati is the Registrar of Birth, Marriage & at the Gram Panchayats Office in rural areas. By circular made mandatory to link all these with voter registration of particularly young females. • Sankalpa Patras exercise – both for literate as well as illiterates • Organised all women voters rallies • Facilitation at MNREGA and other workplaces Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

24. Sankalpa Patras Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

25. 12,939 e-grams (CFC) in the state are centres for voter registration since September, 2013 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

26. Tribal • Folk Art competitions involving three generations • Assisted in identifying excluded communities/pockets • Grassroots employees helped in motivating for registration • Local artists helped develop messages based on folk art • Haats used for voter education Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

27. Folk art painting competitions Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

28. Agriculture & Cooperation Department • Of 1.5 crore members in all the cooperative societies most of the members of the Milk Marketing Federation are Females. • Helped identify unregistered members, and motivate them to register • Print and display of publicity materials at all collection centers. • To provide facilities for registration at all farmer training centers for its members/trainees. • Circular linking subsidy with voter registration • Voters education for farmers as integral part of education programme about better animal husbandry practices. • Circular issued on 15-11-13 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

29. Agriculture & Cooperation Department • Search facilities at all Agricultural Colleges. • Issuing instructions mandatorily linking admissions with voter registration process in all Agricultural Colleges. • Appointing Designated Officers in Agricultural Colleges. • Print and display the Voters' education publicity material given by at all dealer outlets and Primary Agricultural Cooperatives (PACs). • Provide internet Search facilities at various outlets. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

30. Labour & Employment Department • Facilitation for registration of • Laborers engaged in different industrial units. • Unorganised laboureres at construction sites, brick kilns, mining sites, etc • Laboureres at MNREGA and other government works sites • For this Labour Officer meetings with industrial units, labour contractors, etc in a systematic manner. • Department runs ITIs - Search facilities and Designated Officers in all it is • Approximately 3 lac persons registered in Employment Exchange every year – facilitating voter registration at at the time of registration at Employment Exchange. • Resolution issued on 14-9-12 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

31. Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department • Department has the channel of Fair Price Shops (FPS), LPG dealers and Petrol Pumps. • Display of alphabetical list and facilitation for registration at FPS and facilitation for registration • Display of publicity material on FPSs, LPG dealer outlets and Petrol Pumps sponsored by dealers themselves. • Carrying the message of voter awareness and voter turn to women on LPG cylinders . Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

32. Detailed message on LPG cylinders Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

33. Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities Department • Department has professional cultural troupes, who can contribute through street plays, Bhavai, Dayro, Tamashaand other folk medium for voter awareness programmes. • Department also has creative minds who are able to prepare content for these folk theaters and Officers representing the dept. at every district are available. • 814 organised by department out of about 1000 total • NYKS functions through youth clubs, block level youth conventions and district level youth conventions. They have a valuable role for voter awareness and voters education, particularly in going house to house to engage women voters. • 'Search Facility' for checking name in voters list in all libraries in the State Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

34. Information Department • Department empanels agencies for making films, advertisements, designing hoardings, etc. • Given the short time frame for concentrated efforts, this system is very handy for preparing creatives. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

35. Ports & Transport Department • Department has the channel of Bus Stations and Bus Stops • Display of voters education/publicity material on Bus Stations, Bus Stops • Facilitation for voters registration at the RTO for all who come for obtaining Learning License or any other interaction as the footfalls are very high there. • Buses having video facility run advertisements/quickies given by CEO office. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

36. Industries & Mines Department • Facilitation for obtaining sponsorships for various Voter Education events in the State. • Ensuring printing and display of publicity material at all units in GIDC estates. • Direction to all units at GIDC estate to provide Name Search facilities for their employees/ staff. • Display of our publicity material at all venues of Tourism Department functions/celebrations / festivals etc. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

37. Science & Technology Department • Ensure display of our publicity materials on all websites of all Department's. • Providing “Search your name” link on websites of all departments • Providing SATCOM facilities for simultaneous training of grassroots workers such as Aanganwadi, ASHA and MDM workers • Providing support to CEO office for implementing creative ideas for using IT for voter awareness. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

38. Home • On the basis of the previous records it is possible to find out the list of Polling Stations where female turnout is low • Police formed teams to visit each such PS area to meet the female voters to instil confidence • In particularly low female turnout areas joint visit of SP and DEO was done • SPs also took up innovative methods of confidence-building Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

39. Anand district SP and his men in a cycle rally Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

40. All departments • Helped identify staff from excluded groups/communities for working in motivation teams • Facilitating in Postal ballots – most employees voted for the first time Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

41. Central Government

42. National Service Scheme • There are 1,60,00 NSS volunteers in the state • Campus Ambassadors appointed from amongst the NSS volunteers in Higher Educational Institutions in 539/1032 colleges of the State. • NSS Has huge participation in all SVEEP activities and in NVD • Their volunteers have also taken up the responsibility of 10 households each for checking whether all eligible family members are registered • Campus Ambassadors coordinate with CEOs/DEOs office to pick up all creative and communication material and ensure its dissemination in Higher Educational Institutions through CAs. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

43. National Cadets Corps • There are 36 battalions of 550 students each in Gujarat State. • NCC has been participating for voters awareness programme, NVD, etc. • Each NCC Cadet also takes the responsibility of at least ten house holds to check if all eligible members are registered, and if not, motivate them to register. Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

44. NCC marches Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

45. Telecommunication • Bulk SMS • Dial tone jingle • Dial tone message Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

46. Door Darshan and AIR • DD and AIR undertake several programme on voter education such as: • To prepare small films to show in between the programmes. • a certain chunk of news programmeis dedicated only to matters relating to elections, voter awareness and voter education. • Produce their own creative material and news material for spreading awareness amongst voters. • Cover the process of the conduct of election in their various units through interview/talk shows/ live phone-in with CEO/DEOs Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

47. CSC e-Governance Services India Limited,Ministry of Communications & Information Technology • For providing voter registration through 12939 e-gram centers, they provided: • Training • Common portal for tracking number of applications and payment • Sposnsorship of SVEEP animation films based on folk art • Arranging for education of rural electors through multimedia Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

48. Banks • Dena Bank Partnership • Walk-in search facility in all 550 branches • ATM messages • Request made to all Banks in the state on 19-11-13 Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat State

49. THANKS