Proxy Voting And E-Ballots For NRIs: Government

BANGALORE: NRIs accumulate more benefits as the government directed the Supreme Court to extend the right to vote to the NRIs using e-ballots. This move would provide the applicable Indians a chance to partake in the elections in the country.

 The Ministry of External Affairs, the Election Commission and the Law Ministry collectively took into account the views of all segments last year and proposed the report to the apex Court.

The programme is in process and shall be executed once the needed legal alterations and amendments have been carried out, said PS Narasimha, additional solicitor general.

The implementation of these proposals and granting proxy voting rights to the Indians residing overseas will bring about amendments in the law and the framework of the legislation. Voters would cast their vote through e-ballots sent to them. The setup would keep a check on any treachery by designing safeguards to conduct neutral elections.

The scheme would be implemented on few constituencies once the process is validated on pilot basis.

Reportedly, an ordinance announced by Indian government would help the Indians overseas to experience visa for life-long by amalgamating Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schema. This ordinance would contribute benefits to the NRIs thereby providing them with longer visas and freeing them from the obligation of reporting at their local police stations in the country.

The Prime Minister on his last visit to New York acknowledged the ordinance and promised the amalgamation of the two programme.  

114 countries across the world including 20 Asian have taken up external voting through e-ballots, postal and proxy voting.

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