After laying the foundation stone of the new IIIDEM campus in Dwarka here, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said over 11 million officials are engaged during elections in India and stressed on the need to train them.
To ensure poll officials are well-trained, he said, the Commission plans to develop a world-class facility and faculty at IIIDEM on election management and related democratic processes.
The setting up of IIIDEM was mired in controversy with the ECI demanding it be given independent autonomous body status and the Law Ministry opposing the move. The Election Commission later withdrew its demand.
The new campus of IIIDEM is proposed to be constructed on a plot of five acres in Sector 13 of Dwarka, allotted by DDA. ECI has already short-listed ten architects for the project.
Delhi's Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna, who was the chief guest at the foundation stone laying, lauded the Commission's initiatives and wished the Institute success.
South Asian election commissioners present at the event also extended their support to the new Institute and expressed keen interest to avail its facilities.
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Election Commissioners V S Sampath and H S Brahma were also present at the event, besides senior EC officials, diplomats and other dignitaries.
Some of the heads of foreign election management bodies who attended the function are -- Fazel Ahmad Manawi from Afgahnistan, C Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad from Bangladesh, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi from Bhutan, Neel Kantha Upreti from Nepal, Justice (Retd) Muhammad R Essani from Pakistan, among others.
Since its launch in June last year, IIIDEM has hosted 32 courses for more than 500 election officials and other stakeholders in all aspects of election management.