Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 25/21

NATIONAL VOTERS DAY 2021 CELEBRATED AT RAJ BHAVAN, SHILLONG

Along with the rest of the country, Meghalaya celebrated the 11th National Voters Day 2021 at a function held at Raj Bhavan, Shillong. Meghalaya Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik graced the occasion as Chief Guest. The theme for this year’s National Voters Day is, “Making our voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed.”

Addressing the gathering, Shri Satya Pal Malik lauded the efforts put in by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer along with the District Election Offices in leaving no stones unturned in ensuring that the young voters take part in the electoral process. He stated that due to the Covid -19 pandemic in the previous year, the Election Department was compelled to use virtual platforms for disseminating various voter’s education programmes, awareness and campaigns and it is noteworthy to state that the department had introduced E – EPIC which is portable and downloadable.

He further stated that it was a matter of pride that Meghalaya has been awarded the Best Electoral Practices Award 2021 for conducting the 2018 Assembly Elections by the Election Commission of India and hoped that the award would encourage the Election Department to strive for better results. He expressed happiness over the 2.59 percent increase in voting percentage and increase in female voters turnout by 3.50 percent in the last election compared to the previous years. He also encouraged and urged all the eligible youth of the state to enroll, exercise their rights and to take part in keeping the flame of Democracy alive.

Kum. I Laloo, Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, during her address stressed on the need of active participation of the youth in the electoral process. She stated that because of the Covid -19 pandemic, the electoral process was faced with many constraints, however she expressed happiness over the hard work and commitment by the field level functionaries and other stakeholders in ensuring the enrolment programmes were successful. She also stated that the Office of the District Election Officer had tied up and involved the traditional heads such as Headmen and Sordars of various localities to help in disseminating information and identifying new and prospective voters.

On the occasion, the Governor gave away prizes to the winners of the various competitions organised by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in collaboration with Meghalaya Model United Nations. Awards were also presented to best BLOs and distributed EPICS to newly enrolled voters. The Meghalaya Atlas and ELC Anthology were also released on the day and the Governor also inaugurated the art and photography Exhibition at the Multi – Cultural Hall, Raj Bhavan.

Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, Kum. I Laloo flagged of the Wheels of Democracy Cycle Rally from Meghalaya Bharat Scouts & Guides, Shillong. The rally culminated at Raj Bhavan, Shillong.

Press Release No. 28/21

I PR MINISTER INAUGURATES FIXED AUDIO SYSTEM PROJECT IN SHILLONG

Information and Public Relations Minister, Meghalaya, Shri. James P K Sangma today inaugurated the Fixed Audio System (FAS) at the office of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Shillong in the presence of Secretary, I &PR, Smti. M War Nongbri, officers and staff of DIPR. The Central Control Centre for the FAS project in Shillong is at the office of the DIPR, Lower Lachumiere, Shillong and in addition to the Central Control Centre, the system is installed in 22 other locations in and around Shillong City. The system will facilitate information flow in one direction from the Central Control Room to the citizens of Shillong and its suburbs.

In his speech, Shri. Sangma said that as a press and publicity wing of the Government, DIPR plays a crucial role in the day to day functioning of the Government at various levels with the activities, programme and policies of the Government being made available to the citizens of the State through various units of the Department. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the Department in a very tough position as it has to struggle to deliver timely information to the public with only the existing tools, he said. Therefore, the government felt the need to upscale the department with the state-of-the-art system by leveraging on the technology available at our dispensation, he added.The Ministersaid that the FAS Project, which is being inaugurated today, forms part of the multi-pronged strategy of information dissemination by the Department particularly during law and order situations wherein important announcements including imposition of curfews etc are to be caused in a prompt and effective manner. With the commissioning of the Fixed Audio System (FAS) Project, it will further supplement the already existing means of information dissemination by the Department, viz issuance of Press Releases & Advertisements through the Media, Mobile Announcements and others, he said.

While lauding the efforts put in by the officers and staff of DIPR in successfully implementing the project, he expressed hoped that the department will continue to effect more reforms and introduce other innovative interventions in our collective endeavour of serving our people to the best of our capabilities.

According to Smti. Nongbri, the Fixed Audio System project in Shillong city and its suburbs, which amounts to Rs. 1, 59, 34,248/- is a publicity tool which shall supplement the existingmethods adopted by DIPR for timely dissemination of important Government information to its citizens, especially during law and order situations and natural disasters. She said that the USP of the FAS is that in this system, each Internet Protocol (IP) based speaker can be addressed individually or sector wise, meaning that announcements can be made to a single speaker or a selected group of speakers as per the needs and requirements. She expressed hoped that more such innovative interventions like the FAS project will be introduced in the future as part of the efforts by the Department to further amplify the means of disseminating important information of the Government to the people of the State.

Deputy Director, Information& Public Relations, Shri. R Nongkhlaw proposed the vote of thanks.