EC nod to use its data for vaccination drive
   Date :16-Jan-2021

EC nod to use_1 &nbs
 
 
THE Election Commission will extend “full assistance” to the Government in identifying targeted beneficiaries at the polling station level for the COVID-19 vaccination drive, but wants health authorities to delete the data once the inoculation exercise is over, sources privy to the development said on Friday.
 
On December 31 last year, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora requesting the commission’s help in identifying people above 50 years of age at the polling station level, the sources said. On the issue of data security, the Home Secretary wrote that the Government is complying with the current best practices for ensuring cyber security.
 
He has assured EC that data will be used only for the purpose of vaccination, the sources said. The EC, after detailed deliberations, wrote back to the Home Secy saying it has decided to give “full assistance” in the drive.