HYDERABAD: UNION Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said that Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) would soon launch a pilot project using facial recognition technology to verify photo electoral rolls in the forthcoming municipal elections. He said that the use of facial recognition tools in the electoral process would enhance its credibility.
Delivering an inaugural address during the All India State Election Commissioners’ two-day conclave, organised by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) here on Thursday, Kishan Reddy called upon the SECs to make the elections more credible by ensuring a transparent electoral process.
Recalling the Independence- Day speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that one way of involving common man in governance was by strengthening local governments. "The local bodies in the country are the essential features of a democracy. It is the responsibility of every citizen to cherish, protect and promote it," he said.
He also recalled the concept of Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of a 'gram swaraj'. The minister made a special mention about the panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which "re-established grass-root democracy in the region."
Speaking on the occasion, TSEC Commissioner, V Nagi Reddy said, “Article 243 E of the Constitution stipulates that elections to each local body should be completed before the completion of the term of the sitting body. The SECs cannot decide on the dates and the number of phases of elections. For better functioning, the SECs have to depend on state governments both for funds as well as manpower.”