With the number of voters in the country set to touch the 95 crore mark in the next 10 years, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi today stressed on the need to have sufficient number of trained polling personnel to hold future polls.
He said in the next 10 years, the elector base is likely to cross 95 crore mark, which means that 1.10 crore polling personnel and more than 2 crore EVMs will be required.
As of today, India has about 85 crore registered voters, with 1.8 crore new electors added to the electoral rolls in the recent past.
"With these huge challenges of capacity building programmes, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) will need to be equipped with the best and latest methods of learning including technological applications," the CEC said.
He was addressing a gathering at the 'inauguration of commencement of work' of IIIDEM building in Dwarka here.
The foundation stone of the institute was laid in 2012, though it was established in June 2011 as an organ of the Election Commission. It has been functioning from Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters here.
"IIIDEM cannot pretend that future will take care of itself. IIIDEM must plan ahead, invest in hiring best faculty and training human resources for free and fair elections," Zaidi said.
He said the institute, in spite of initial constraints such as lack of a proper campus faculty, has done well in fulfilling its mandate both domestic and international.
The institute has run close to 150 capacity building programmes both domestic and international and has trained 4,000 key personnel over 550 training days.
Zaidi proposed that all South Asian and Asia Pacific election management bodies collaborate on joint initiative to set up an International Association of Training Institutes of Election Management to promote exchange of ideas, experience, expertise for mutual interest.
The EC had earlier proposed to make IIIDEM into an autonomous body but withdrew the proposal after it found little support from the Law Ministry.
The Law Ministry is the nodal ministry for EC.
