The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered that the services of government-appointed volunteers at the village and ward secretariats should not be drafted for any work when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena, in a statement on Saturday, said that the ECI had ordered against engaging the volunteers in any election-related work.
“Volunteers should not be engaged in government services and in distribution of welfare schemes during the MCC period. Instead of engaging them, the government should utilise the services of employees to distribute the regular welfare schemes benefits,” Mr. Meena said.
The volunteers are expected to be engaged on April 1 for disbursing pension to the beneficiaries. But the ECI has now made it clear that they cannot be drafted for the purpose.
“This apart, the ECI has directed all the volunteers to immediately surrender all the electronic gadgets such as mobiles, tabs and other devices at the offices of respective District Election Officers,” the CEO said.
The ECI also did not allow the government to go ahead with the APTET and APTRT examination schedule. It asked the government to conduct the exams after completion of elections.
