UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2: Questions on technological reforms by the ECI and ULLAS scheme (Week 106)

QUESTION 1

“Technological reforms by the ECI, such as bi‑hourly polling data and automated statistical indexes, will significantly strengthen democratic accountability.” Comment.

QUESTION 2

“Full literacy now includes digital, financial and entrepreneurial skills” . Discuss in the light of national skill development policies.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: “Technological reforms by the ECI, such as bi‑hourly polling data and automated statistical indexes, will significantly strengthen democratic accountability.” Comment.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Election Commission of India (ECI) is improving its internal systems to guarantee that voter turnout data are disseminated more quickly on election day.

— The ECI indicated that it would implement automatic reporting in its new mobile application ECINET in time for the Bihar Assembly elections in November.

— Following the Lok Sabha elections last year, the Opposition voiced concerns about the delay in releasing voter turnout data, calling into question the ECI’s openness and integrity.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— The ECI now has up to 40 different apps and websites for various internal and public services, including as electoral roll administration, candidate affidavits, voter turnout, and results. The Commission announced the creation of a new app, ECINET, which will incorporate all existing apps.

— Currently, the presiding officer of each polling station communicates voter turnout data to a sector officer in charge of a few polling stations, as well as the constituency’s Returning Officer, via phone or message. These data are then manually collected, and the constituency’s turnout is entered into the Voter Turnout app every two hours.

— The new approach will allow each presiding officer to enter turnout data into the ECINET app every two hours. The software will automatically determine the constituency’s turnout and display it to the public.

— Voter turnout is an ENCORE module that runs on poll day and involves entering data for a two-hourly projected poll % into ENCORE. Citizens and media outlets can monitor voter turnout data with the Voter Turnout app, which is accessible on both Android and iOS platforms. These percentages are pooled in the system to get the district and state poll percentage.

— This technology makes it easier to enter data on two-hourly voter turnout and helps to disseminate information in real time. To guarantee that each Constituency receives timely entries, we have created a mechanism at the CEO level to monitor and identify assemblies that have missed data entry deadlines.

Conclusion:

— Each candidate, however, has the booth-wise turnout figures through Form 17C, which is given to their polling agents at the close of the poll. The Form 17C is a statutory requirement under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

(Source: Why Election Commission is working on releasing voter turnout figures faster, http://www.eci.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Read about the Election Commission of India

Read about Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961

Related Previous Year Questions

Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees, with particular reference to the ‘‘One Nation–One Election’’ principle. (2024)

In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India? (2018)

QUESTION 2: “Full literacy now includes digital, financial and entrepreneurial skills” . Discuss this in light of national skill development policies.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Mizoram and Goa declared themselves “fully literate” states last month as part of the ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) literacy initiative for those over the age of 15 who have not attended school.

— Mizoram had a literacy rate of 98.2%, whereas Goa’s was 99.72%. These states followed Ladakh, the first in the country to declare itself “fully literate” under the plan in June last year, having “achieved more than 97% literacy”.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— The Centre launched the ULLAS project (also known as the New India Literacy Programme), which would be implemented from 2022 to 2027. It intends to provide 5 crore ‘non-literate individuals’ over the age of 15 in the country with foundational literacy and numeracy abilities, such as basic reading, writing, and rudimentary arithmetic taught in primary school. The training materials are also intended to educate ‘important life skills’ such as financial and digital literacy.

— Working with schools and officials, states and union territories conducted door-to-door surveys to identify persons in need of such education. They are then taught by registered volunteers, including schoolchildren, students from higher education and teacher education institutions, and community members. The NCERT created the learning materials, which were then translated into the various states’ native languages. Teaching and learning can be done offline or through a mobile app.

— The Indian government has been implementing adult literacy programs since the 1950s, and ULLAS is the most recent addition. This includes programs aimed at farmers and women in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as a nationwide program known as the National Adult Education Programme for people aged 15 to 35. For this bracket, the National Literacy Mission was implemented from 1988 to 2009.

(To read more: What Mizoram, Goa’s ‘fully literate’ tag under the ULLAS program means)

Conclusion:

— The Functional Literacy Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) is a 150-mark reading, writing, and numeracy test given to students in a variety of languages. After completing the test, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) certifies the student as having learnt foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

— In August of last year, the Ministry of Education wrote to the states, defining “literacy” and “100% literacy” for the ULLAS. Literacy has been defined as “the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension i.e to identify, understand, interpret and create, along with critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy etc.”

(Source: What Mizoram, Goa’s ‘fully literate’ tag under the ULLAS program means)

Points to Ponder

Read about NCERT

Read about literacy rate and census

Related Previous Year Questions

Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. (2021)

Skill development programmes have succeeded in increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyse the linkages between education, skill and employment. (2023)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 106)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 105)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 104)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 105)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 104)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 105)

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