ECI adopts new SOP to deliver EPIC to voters within 15 days

CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new standard operation procedure (SOP) to ensure faster delivery of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to the electors. This would enable the electors to receive their EPIC within 15 days of an update in their electoral rolls and this would also include new enrolment of an elector or change in any particulars of an existing elector.

The initiative, according to the ECI, is in line with the various measures being undertaken by the ECI for the convenience of electors as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The new system will ensure real-time tracking of each stage right from the EPIC generation by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) till the delivery of EPIC to the elector through the department of Posts. Electors will also receive notifications via SMS at each stage, keeping them informed about the status of their EPICs, Deputy Director of ECI P Pawan said in the statement.

For this purpose, ECI has introduced a dedicated IT module on its recently launched ECINet platform. The DoP’s Application Programme Interface (API) will be integrated with the ECINet for seamless delivery. It aimed at enhancing service delivery while maintaining data security. It was part of the Commission’s series of measures for the benefit of electors and other stakeholders, added the release.