BENGALURU: The Election Commission of India has chosen two women bureaucrats from the state for their contributions to best electoral practices.
C Shikha, commissioner of Commercial Taxes, who previously earned laurels for high GST collections, has been selected under the Best Electoral Practice Awards 2023 under the award for government Department Agency PSU category. Divya Prabhu, deputy commissioner and District Chief Electoral Officer, Chitradurga district, has been picked under the General Award category for the National Level Awards for 2023.
Shikha has been chosen for her role in conducting elections strictly, conducting campaigns through the Commercial Taxes Department to create awareness among the public not to accept free gifts and adherence to the model code of conduct in the commercial sector during the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023.
Divya has been recognised for her outstanding performance at the national level through her work during elections, including registering young voters, managing electoral rolls, increasing special voter registrations, etc.
The awards will be presented on January 25 in New Delhi.
The awardees also belong to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura and Mizoram, where state elections were held in 2023.
The Commission gives away awards every year in four categories -- general, special, best performing government department or institutions and best performing state -- to encourage and congratulate officers who have performed in elections.