"Substantial" funds have been allocated to the Election Commission for purchase of new electronic voting machines keeping in mind the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said today.
"Substantial funds have been allotted this year under the head 'election-related expenses' for purchase of new EVMs, keeping in view the general elections 2019 and other assembly polls," Gowda said.
Addressing a press conference on the budgetary allocations made to his ministry for the coming fiscal, he said the amount would also be used for reimbursement to the states for election-related expenses.
"Expenditure under election head increased from Rs 2,142.40 crore (Revised Estimates 2015-16) to Rs 3,649.29 crore (Budgetary Estimates 2016-17), showing an increase of 70 per cent," Gowda said.
The Law Ministry is the nodal ministry for Election Commission.
The Election Commission had approached the government to procure nearly 14 lakh new electronic voting machines.
In its January 18 meeting, the Expenditure Finance Committee headed by Secretary Expenditure in the Finance Ministry, gave in-principle approval for the purchase of 13,95,648 new balloting units and 9,30,432 control units at an estimated cost of Rs 5,511.48 crore between financial years 2015-16 and 2018-19.
Sources in the government said an estimated Rs 1,872 crore would be required in 2016-17 for the new EVMs, but final figures will be available when the EC issues tender.
The Election Commission wants to purchase new machines against the backdrop of over nine lakh such machines currently in use nearing end of their 15-year life.
A senior government functionary explained that the two government undertakings -- Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bengaluru and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd, Hyderabad will not be in a position to produce new EVMs in one go and would provide it to the Commission in batches.
The machines EC gets in batches can be used in coming assembly polls and by the time the next Lok Sabha polls are due the delivery will be completed.
In a proposal sent to the Law Ministry, the Commission had said that 9,30,430 EVMs in use today would become "outdated" between 2015-16 and 2019-20.
