New Delhi: The Election Commission has introduced an electronic version of the voters’ ID card ie. Digital voter id cards on this National Voters’ Day on Monday.
This e-EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) is available in pdf format which cannot be edited and is only allowed to be printed or laminated as per the voter’s requirement.
This pdf file can also be stored in other electronic devices like mobile phones and computers. India’s cloud storage platform DigiLocker – which is used to store all official documents authorized by the government, can also be used to store this Digital Voter ID card.
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This initiative was taken mainly for states West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry that are set to vote in April-May. e-Voter cards will make the polling process easier, and ensure maximum participation of voters on polling days.
E-cards like digital voter cards are beneficial as they prevent the need to make new Voter ID cards every time there is a change in address or personal details.
Rolling out e-cards does not end the existence and usage of Physical Voter(PV) cards. They can still be used for identification purposes, but are not beneficiary on account of migration, as a new card is issued on change of address.
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The delivery time for a PV (Physical Voter) card is eliminated by this digital card. This step also allows voters who have lost or damaged their physical EPIC cards to download a duplicate one for free at a price of Rs.25.
Electors who have registered during the special summary revision 2021 and those who mobile numbers are unique while applying, will get an SMS and will be allowed to download their e-EPIC cards between the dates of January 25, 2021- January 31, 2021.
Other general voters will be allowed to access and download their e-EPIC cards only after February 1, 2021 only if their mobile numbers are unique while applying. Otherwise, they would have to undergo the KYC process before downloading their e-cards.
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