my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 25 Jan: On the occasion of the 16th National Voters’ Day, a state-level National Voters’ Day programme was organized on Sunday at the Lok Bhawan, here. The Governor, Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd), participated as the Chief Guest. Present on the dais were Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Secretary (Elections) Dilip Jawalkar, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dr Vijay Kumar Jogdande, and District Magistrate, Dehradun, Savin Bansal.
The Governor lit the ceremonial lamp and administered the Voters’ Pledge to the citizens present. On this occasion, he honoured the District Magistrates of Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Champawat, and Bageshwar for their outstanding work in election-related activities. Additionally, EROs of Roorkee, Khatima, and Chakrata were honoured for excellent performance during the Pre-SIR process.
During the programme, the Governor also honoured state icons Padma Shri awardee Basanti Bisht, Olympian Manish Rawat, and Nungshi Malik by presenting them with mementos. On this occasion, newly eligible voters of Dehradun district who have completed 18 years of age were felicitated by the Governor with voter identity cards.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor extended his greetings to all citizens of the state on National Voters’ Day. He said that the greatest strength of democracy lies in alert, aware, and active citizens. By granting voting rights, the Indian Constitution has entrusted every citizen with the responsibility of strengthening democracy. Voting is not merely a right, but the moral and constitutional duty of every citizen.
The Governor appealed to all citizens to mandatorily exercise their right to vote in every election and contribute to strengthening democracy. He stated that when every citizen votes, India’s democracy becomes stronger.
Referring to this year’s theme, “My India – My Vote”, the Governor said it conveys the message that every vote plays a crucial role in shaping the nation’s future. When a citizen votes, the decision is not only for oneself but also for future generations. He emphasised that the strength of democracy is ensured not by policies or institutions alone, but by the active participation of citizens.
The Governor praised the Election Commission of India for successfully conducting free, fair, and transparent elections for over seven decades. He congratulated election officials, employees, and security forces for ensuring the smooth conduct of the democratic process. Addressing youth and new voters, he said that youth power is the nation’s greatest asset and urged young voters to view voting not as a formality, but as a means of building the country’s future.
Despite Uttarakhand’s difficult geographical conditions, the Governor appreciated the efforts of the state election machinery, BLOs, and polling parties for successfully carrying out the voting process.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan emphasised the importance of voting in his address. Secretary (Elections) Dilip Jawalkar stated that an aware voter leads to the creation of a prosperous nation. At the conclusion of the programme, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dr Vijay Kumar Jogdande expressed gratitude to the Governor and thanked all dignitaries.
Also present were Assistant Chief Electoral Officer Mastu Das, CDO, Dehradun, Abhinav Shah, CDO, Champawat, GS Khati, and ADM, Champawat, Mukta Mishra.
The State Award Recipients were: Prateek Jain – District Magistrate, Rudraprayag;
Prashant Arya – District Magistrate, Uttarkashi; Manish Kumar – District Magistrate, Champawat; Akanksha Konde – District Magistrate, Bageshwar; Deepak Ramchandra – Joint Magistrate, Roorkee;
Tushar Saini – Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Khatima; and Prem Lal – Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Chakrata.
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