On the instructions and initiative of Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar, efforts have been started to ensure availability of minimum necessary facilities at all the polling stations of the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha general elections, 2024. In fact, it has been decided to conduct a third party social audit with the help of the Social Audit State Unit to find out the status of minimum required facilities in the polling stations of Jharkhand state at present.

This is probably the first time in the country when an independent social audit is being conducted on election issues. Regarding this initiative, CEO Shri K. Ravi Kumar said that it has always been the instruction of the Election Commission that not only all the necessary minimum facilities should be available at the polling centers on the day of voting but there should be a festival like atmosphere at all these centres. Therefore, it has been decided to conduct an unbiased social audit so that a report on the actual condition of the polling stations can be obtained. On the basis of the report, if any gap is found, the necessary facilities at the booths will be repaired and improved in time.

A one-day training was conducted for the surveyors of the State Social Audit Unit in the auditorium of the Election Office located in Dhurwa. The main objective of this training was that these surveyors going to the districts for audit could get information about the minimum necessary facilities required by the Election Commission at the polling stations and the provisions related to it. Surveyors from all the districts of the state associated with the social audit team were present in this training.

It was told that the work of the said social audit will be completed in the coming month of February. After this, any gap or deficiency is planned to be filled within a month.

On this occasion, OSD of Chief Election Office, Mrs. Geeta Choubey, Under Secretary, Mr. Devdas Dutta, Deputy Election Officer (Headquarters), Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Under Election Officer, Mr. Sunil Kumar Singh, Branch Officer, Mr. Dheeraj Kumar and Coordinator of Social Audit Unit, Mr. Haldhar Mahato. Including all the members of the team formed for social audit in the state were present.