The Chhattisgarh Government has claimed that Balrampur-Ramanujganj district of the State is the first in the country to issue coloured voter ID cards through biometric system to all 4.62 lakh voters in the district as on January 2015.
It may be mentioned that, nationally, on January 26 this year, voters in Bihar’s State capital Patna also received the coloured voter ID cards on 'National Voters Day'. The Government of Odhisha and UP already announced to distribute voter cards last year. In Chhattisgarh, the voters of Balrampur-Ramanujganj district used their coloured voter-IDs to exercise voting rights during panchayat elections held this year, officials stated.
It is noteworthy that Balrampur-Ramanujganj district was formed in January, 2012, officials stated. The Balrampur-Ramanujganj District Administration is gearing up to open IT-based Public Service Centers in all 340 gram panchayats of the district. District Collector Alex Paul Menon said that every possible step is being taken to make Balrampur-Ramanujganj district the first biometric districts of the State and the nation.
The Government is opening Public Service Centers at the tehsil-level as well, officials stated. With the help of National Optical Fiber Network Project, all 340 gram panchayat offices will be developed as panchayat banks, where people of rural areas will be able to avail facilities and public utility services of the Government.
Arrangements are also underway to ensure timely scholarship distribution, MNREGA and Tendupatta labourer wage payment, payment of honorarium to Aanganwadi workers, transfer of pension amounts under social security pension schemes directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
In this direction, seven youths in each gram panchayat of the district have been given computer training. All the trained youth have been given certificate as CHOICE Agents.
Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) CEO Saurabh Kumar said that in Balrampur-Ramanujganj district, services like Aadhaar card registration and printing, Voter-ID printing, PAN card, electricity bill, and other bank services are being provided through general facility centers, under Rural CHOICE Project.
Till March 2015, Aadhaar card registration of nearly seven lakh 50,000 people will be completed. Under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, Punjab National Bank in association with CHiPS general facility centers have target of opening bank accounts of 5.26 lakh people by March 2015.
