THE CHANDIGARH Institute for Blind has manufactured at least 27,250 ballot papers and signage sheets in Punjabi Braille that will be pasted on hundreds of EVM machines to facilitate visually impaired voters in Punjab to cast their franchise during the February 20 polls.

The ballot papers and signage sheets were printed at the Braille Printing Press located inside the Institute for Blind, Chandigarh. The Society for the Care of the Blind, Chandigarh, is an registered NGO which runs the Institute for Blind. Notably, this will be the first instance of ballot papers in Braille being printed for the visually impaired people of the state in such large numbers. Officials said that printing press staff worked tirelessly from 7am till 2.30am for at least 11 days. At least 3,500 ballot papers in Punjabi Braille were being printed every day. The printing started a day after the last date of withdrawal nominations on February 5.

Officials said that the state election commission has paid Rs 7 lakh to the institute for the printing job. Although almost all the staff working at the press are people who have proper eyesight, the printed material in Punjab Braille was approved by the Principal of School of Blind, JAS Jayara, who is visually impaired.
 

There are selective Braille printing presses in the region. Others are in Dehradun and Delhi. But the Punjab government preferred our institute because here we are capable of printing the ballot papers, signage sheets in three different languages — Hindi, Punjabi and English. Because the elections are in Punjab, authorities also need these in the regional language. We printed the entire material in merely 11 days. Till the completion of work Pankaj Sharma and I worked daily till 2.30 am and again started the Braille embossers (printers) at 7 am the next day,” Bishwajeet, in-charge of the Braille Press at the institute, said.

A staff member said, “The need for additional signage sheets for EVM machines arose for at least six constitutes where more than 16 candidates are contesting the elections from each seat. The election commission assigned us the task of printing the signage sheets for the EVMs.” Officials said that the amount received from the election commission will be utilised for welfare activities, after paying compensation to the staff who worked day and night for the preparation of ballot paper in Punjabi Braille.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/elections/braille-ballot-papers-signange-sheets-for-the-visually-impaired-7780629/