REPORTS / MEMIOGRAPH

Participatory Democracy and Governance at the Grassroots Institutions Level in Himachal Pradesh: Impact Evaluation of Pre Election Voter’s Awareness Campaign (PEVAC) and Analysis of Emerging Trends in Voting Behaviour after 73^rd and 74^th Amendment Act Period, Sanjeev Sharma, IIHS, HPU, Shimla – 5 in collaboration with PRIA

The report is based on a collaborative research conducted by the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Study (UGC Centre of Excellence) and PRIA (Participatory Research in Asia. PRIA and its partner NGOs conducted a Pre-Election Awareness campaign (PEVAC) to make the voters aware of the elections to the PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) and ULBs (Urban Local Self bodies) which took place during December 2005. This campaign was aimed at mitigating political apathy; minimize non voting, proper nomination filing by the contesting candidates and motivating voters particularly women and Scheduled Caste and Tribe voters to vote and contest the elections. In this report efforts have been made to study the impact of the PEVAC campaign. The study was conducted in two intensive districts, viz. Hamirpur and Kangra, and two extensive districts of Shimla & Sirmaur for impact evaluation of PEVAC (Pre Election Awareness Campaign) started by “Sanjha Manch” (Civil Society Organisations) under the Leadership of PRIA. It emerged from the study that the village/ward level meeting is the topmost and basic requirement of PEVAC programme followed by the distribution of publicity material, Nukkad Natak and Kala Jatha and TV and Video shows. The study suggests that the PEVAC activities should be extended to the rural areas with more focus and particularly to the voters residing in the tribal as well as remote villages in the extensive districts so as to make the PEVAC the people’s movement at the grassroots level.

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