Banks and Post Offices Join ECI to Bolster Voter Education Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th Feb. In a milestone move, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Department of Posts (DoP) to enhance voter outreach and awareness ahead of the upcoming General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024. This initiative builds upon ECI’s ongoing efforts to promote electoral literacy across the nation, including the recent collaboration with the Ministry of Education to integrate electoral education into school and college curricula.

The MoU, signed in the presence of Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Shri Arun Goel, outlines key initiatives aimed at empowering citizens with knowledge about their electoral rights and processes. Under the agreement, IBA and DoP, along with their members and affiliated institutions, will proactively promote voter education through various channels, including websites, social media platforms, and customer outreach programs.

Highlights of the MoU include:
• Prominent display of voter education messages on member institutions’ websites to direct visitors to learn more about the electoral process.
• Dissemination of voter education content through social media and customer outreach platforms, ensuring widespread awareness among stakeholders.
• Display of voter education messages through posters, flex, and hoardings at office premises and major locations.
• Establishment of Voter Awareness Fora by member institutions to engage employees and customers in discussions on voter education.
• Integration of voter education training modules into the regular orientation programs for employees of IBA and DoP.
• Affixing special cancellation stamps bearing voter education messages on postal articles by the Department of Posts.

The collaboration between ECI, IBA, and DoP aims to address concerns regarding voter turnout, with approximately 30 crore electors abstaining from voting in the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. Through concerted efforts, the initiative seeks to foster a culture of informed and active participation in the electoral process, thereby strengthening democracy in India.

The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), established in 1946, boasts a network of 247 members nationwide, including public sector banks, private sector banks, regional rural banks, and small finance banks. Similarly, the Department of Posts (DoP), with over 1,55,000 post offices, maintains the most extensive postal network globally, playing a vital role in the country’s communication and socio-economic development for over 150 years.