New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declared Arjuna awardee and para-archer Sheetal Devi as a national icon.
The announcement was made during an exhibition cricket match organised between the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) Team and the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) team at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi by the ECI and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 16 March. The match was played to raise awareness and promote inclusivity of persons with disabilities (PwDs).
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and other dignitaries were present at the event and praised the teams for their spirited performance and highlighted the message of inclusivity that resonated with the crowd of 2500 spectators.
As part of the initiative, the ECI has also launched a dedicated Voter’s Guide for PwDs and senior citizen electors. The comprehensive booklet outlines essential provisions available to PwDs and senior citizens, including infrastructural, informative, and procedural details at polling stations, as well as the applicability and procedure for postal ballots.
The measures follow key initiatives taken by the Commission towards PwDs, including inter alia, optional home voting facility for PwDs with benchmarked disabilities, mapping of Persons with Disabilities polling station-wise, provision of free transportation on poll day, disability-specific facilitations at all polling stations, accessibility checklist at polling stations, appointment of State and District PwD Icons, awareness campaigns, the Saksham ECI App, Braille enabled EPICs and EVMs.
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