Mangaluru: To further streamline the process of electoral roll revision, the Dakshina Kannada district administration has formed village-level electoral teams (VLT) that will be involved in addition, deletion and correction of names in the electoral roll at the village level. These teams will involve in activities to create awareness about voting.

Speaking at a function to launch activities of Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) here on Tuesday, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kumar said that each VLT will comprise the village accountant, anganwadi teacher and Accredited Social Health Activists. The VLTs will conduct programmes in the villages to create awareness about voting that includes how to vote through the electronic voting machines.

They will also look into issues related to electoral roll revision, including additions and correction of names. The VLTs will look into problems, if any, in the polling booths in the villages.

Mr. Kumar said that Dakshina Kannada was the first district in the State to have such VLTs. As many as 430 VLTs have been formed and each one of the team members was undergoing training at the taluk level. Shortly, a meeting of VLT members will be held in the district, he said.

Mr. Kumar said that the electoral roll revision exercise was held in the district for the past three months. The final electoral roll will be published on Wednesday.

People have to check the roll and take steps for correction and addition of names. Dakshina Kannada topped among the districts in terms of turnout of voters in polling booths in the last Assembly elections. The SVEEP activity has been planned in such a way that the turnout in the forthcoming elections will be more than 80 %, he said.

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer M.R. Ravi, who heads the district SVEEP committee, said that they were focussing on making polling booths accessible for persons with disabilities and the third gender.

These groups were staying away from casting their vote, hitherto. The committee was forming Electoral Literacy Clubs and campus ambassadors in colleges to create awareness about voting in colleges.

Mr. Kumar and Mr. Ravi released posters and jingles under the SVEEP activity.