Election Commission of India working on remote voting system - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Election Commission of India working on remote voting system.

IT-Madras is providing the technology.

The model of an Aadhaar-linked electronic voting system that would enable electors to cast their votes from any part of the country — irrespective of where they are registered to vote — or even abroad, is being prepared for the Election Commission of India by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), ECI officials said.

The model is likely to be presented before the Commission next month and if approved, a prototype could be readied by the end of the year or early next year, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena told The Hindu. If the project is given the go-ahead by the ECI, changes to the election laws would be required for which the Law Ministry would be approached.
The system would allow, for example, a Delhi-registered elector who happens to be in Hyderabad to cast his or her vote in elections in the Capital electronically, Mr. Saxena said. To start with, the proposal would be to enable voting at designated centres in different cities, but the second phase of the project, if approved, could be used to enable overseas electors to cast their votes, he said.
“The IIT-M is developing a system for two-way remote voting in controlled environment using blockchain technology. The system can’t work in isolation. It will have to be integrated with our ERO Net so if a person votes remotely, the electoral roll will reflect that,” he said.
With the proposed linking of the Aadhaar biometrics with voter IDs at an “advanced stage”, the official said the two-way electronic voting system would be possible only when the linking is complete.
The ECI had used a one-way electronic system for service electors for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The postal ballots were transmitted electronically to the service electors, which led to an increased turnout or 60.14%. (Source: The Hindu)


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Election Commission of India working on remote voting system.

Bad debt norms: RBI to seek Election Commission nod - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Bad debt norms: RBI to seek Election Commission nod.

Highlights
• It is now coming to the view that an explicit approval from the Election Commission is required as it is a new policy decision
• The EC code of conduct specifically exempted the conduct of monetary policy, which is considered crucial for the economy
After much deliberation, the RBI is expected to approach the Election Commission to put in place a new circular on bad debt resolution, paving the way for smooth implementation of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code and loan restructuring by banks.
The move is crucial after the Supreme Court set aside the controversial February 12 circular issued by then governor Urjit Patel. The RBI was initially planning to issue the revised circular that is expected to give more flexibility in restructuring stressed loans as against the rigid timelines for initiating bankruptcy under the older directive.
It is now coming to the view that an explicit approval from the Election Commission is required as it is a new policy decision.

The EC code of conduct specifically exempted the conduct of monetary policy, which is considered crucial for the economy. The circular issued in February 2018 had caused consternation among banks and corporates for three reasons. First, it did away with all the debt restructuring scheme. Second, it forced lenders to arrive at a resolution acceptable to 100% of creditors within 180 days of a default failing which they had to initiate bankruptcy proceedings.
It made the process of resolution tougher as the plan had to certified by a rating agency and required a fifth of the principal to be repaid within a year. If the promoter was not in a position to repay within a year, the lenders would have to take the borrower to NCLT.
Lenders were expecting that the RBI would dilute a condition requiring 100% of approval among lenders. They were also expecting that it would relax restructuring norms so that banks are not forced to drag borrowers like power companies to NCLT where the scope of recovery would be dim given the nature of the projects which had little liquidation value. (Source: The Economic Times)


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Bad debt norms: RBI to seek Election Commission nod.