Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel on Saturday honoured Narmadapuram Collector Sonia Meena with a special award at the State-level Voter’s Day ceremony, recognising her innovative IT initiatives and exceptional contributions to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The award ceremony took place at the State-level Voters' Day event organised by the Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh at the Kushabhau Convention Centre in the state capital.
Speaking on the occasion, Meena thanked voters, colleagues, political parties and media persons for the award which she described as a symbol of pride for the entire Narmadapuram district.
It is noteworthy that during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, under the leadership and guidance of Collector and District Election Officer Sonia Meena, an innovative three-tier Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information Technology (IT)-based plan was implemented to actively involve election staff and voters. This plan included three components:
Narmadapuram Election Quiz App – Through this app, Master Trainers used interactive quizzes and WhatsApp groups to train polling teams. At the end of the training sessions, trainees answered questions related to the voting process via the quiz, which helped identify difficult topics. These topics were then included in a retraining plan. This innovation in training polling staff ensured the smooth conduct of the election process throughout the district.
Itarsi's AI Mascot "Itaru" – An AI-based mascot "Itaru" was launched in Itarsi, Narmadapuram, symbolising the historical importance of brick and rope production in the city. The mascot's design was refined through community feedback and was used to encourage voter participation in traditionally low-voter areas of the Itarsi region. Due to its popularity in SWEEP campaigns and acceptance among citizens, "Itaru" was declared the permanent mascot of Itarsi after the election.
E-Contact Mobile App – This app was developed to provide voters with GIS-based maps of polling stations and BLO contact numbers. It also facilitated seamless integrated communication for election officials.
The IT and SWEEP innovations carried out under the leadership and guidance of Meena were specifically highlighted at the State-level Voter's Day ceremony.