Collector and District Election Officer Dr. Suhas Diwase said that the Election Commission of India has launched the 'Saksham' app to facilitate the voting process for persons with more than 40 percent disabilities and senior citizens aged 85 years and above.
He also informed that senior citizens aged 85 years and above and persons with more than 40 percent disability will have the option to vote from home. However, necessary arrangements will be made at polling stations for those who wish to exercise their right to vote in person.
This app enables disabled voters to register as disabled, register new voters, transfer votes, request changes in polling stations and wheelchair assistance, search for names in the voter list, check polling station details, lodge complaints, and access booth locator status, among other services.
Polling stations for persons with disabilities will be located on the ground floor, equipped with amenities such as drinking water, waiting sheds, medical kits, accessible toilets, adequate lighting, ramps, wheelchair facilities, preferential access, separate queuing facilities, standard signs, and volunteer assistance. Braille and vote book facilities will be available on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for blind and physically challenged voters.
Who is eligible?
Individuals with various disabilities, including blindness, low vision, deafness, hearing impairment, physical disability, mental illness, leprosy, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, acid attack victims, speech and language disabilities, specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, chronic neurological disorders, blood disorders, and multiple disabilities, are eligible to enroll.
