To ensure greater participation of people in the electoral process of the Assembly elections, the Zila Saaksharta Samitti (ZSS) has kicked off a voter literacy and awareness drive under the aegis of the National Literacy Mission this week.

The objective of the drive is to ensure 100 per cent polling on November 4.

ZSS district project coordinator Suman Kumar Minhas said the campaign had been started consequent upon the directions of the Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission. The voter literacy and awareness campaign is an official drive, which would continue till November 4.

As many as 566 pareraks and 8,000 voluntary teachers had been deployed to disseminate the information about the election process through video CDs, posters and other material, said Minhas.

Minhas said the electoral literacy camps, awareness rallies etc were being organised to educate the voters about ensuring signatures of neo-literates during casting of vote and discouraging ‘angootha’ custom.

The voters were being motivated to go through the manifestoes of different political parties and candidates and choose the right person while casting vote.

He said an expert publicity troop under the guidance of Dr OP Bhureta of the state resource centre Shimla had also arrived at Chamba to spearhead the campaign.