The very idea had been implemented as early as the 1990s. A riveting concept which had been bought into life in hopes to ease the process of voting system and enhance technology and politics altogether. But what is i-voting?

According to the California Internet Task Force, in 1999 the definition adopted by them was “Casting of a secure vote and secret electronic ballot that is transmitted to the officials over the internet.” It had been accepted that i-voting is a sub type of e-voting. Now what is e-voting? Electronic is simply the means to cast a ballot via broader range of electronic telecommunications technology including telephones, cable, and satellite and computers without the internet.

To advance this piece of technology, bills have been passed to initiate the study of i-voting, the countries included Washington and Minnesota, Australia, France, Switzerland, and these bills were passed in the 1990s. Soon after, in 2005, Estonia finally became the very first country to implement the system of i-voting for their general elections. Did the mock trials turn out to be cost effective? The answer would be a big no, for the reason even though an infinitesimal group was involved in the testing, giving birth to what seemed as a hypothetical project requires large investments as well as piloting the new system.

So, when does India come into the picture? Gujarat was one the states in India to conduct mock trials for e-voting in 2015 but unfortunately did not turn out to give the expected success rate. In fact, recently, the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Mr. Sandeep Saxena claimed “the concept of ‘blockchain’ technology is a two-way electronic voting system, in a co trolled environment, on-white-listed IP devices on dedicated internet lines, enabled with biometric devices and a web camera". Unfortunately, this did not indicate the freedom of voting from home. It was quite the opposite, the voters still had to be physically present on the day assigned as well as the Time and Venue. The Deputy went on to explain "two-way block chain remote voting" consisted of a two-step verification and authorisation process using a multi-layered IT enabled which would be working on the EC's e-Governance award winning Electoral Registration Officer Network (ERO Net) using biometrics and web cameras.

Upon approval, a personalized e-ballot paper will be generated which will be encrypted generating blockchain hashtag. Even though the technology is advancing for the greater good, it still needs a way to reach the expatriates and military personnel.

The advancement of technology can be seen as a boon or a bane. It can be a boon for those who do not continue to live in their hometown, expatriates and military personnel. There is a possibility the voter turnout may increase effectively. But the issue which stands in the way of its adaptation are the security concerns. The very channel or medium is prone to cyber-attacks, which is the reason why it’s commencement should include a small sector of people, which may include, Universities, Private Organisations etc. Restricting the votes to a certain section of people may reduce the possibility of cyber-attacks and in fact turn out to be a boon, especially amidst the pandemic.

Withdrawal of Chinese troops in Hot Springs complete

Indian and Chinese armies continued with the troop withdrawal process on Wednesday clearing patrol point-15 – another friction zone in eastern Ladakh that was on the knife-edge during the nine-week long stand-off in India’s northernmost union territory.

The disengagement has been completed at PP-15 (Gogra Post/Hot Spring areas) where the troops have moved back by nearly two km from the line of actual control, government sources said. At PP-17 and PP-17A in the same area, it would take another day or two to finish the task.

The Chinese military removed all temporary structures and completed withdrawal of its troops from the face-off site in Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday even as the Indian Army kept a close watch on the pull back and maintained a high-level of combat readiness in the region, PTI reported quoting sources.  The news report said the two armies are expected to carry out a joint verification in the next few days to assess the implementation of the disengagement process once the dismantling of the temporary infrastructure and withdrawal of troops by China are completed at the friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. There has been thinning out of troops from Finger areas in Pangong Tso as well, they report said. Pangong Tso has been a major face-off site between the two sides. 

Amidst reports of withdrawal of Indian and Chiese soldiers from the contested Galwan Valley, a statement was issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. China has said that both countries are working to reduce border tension but did not clarify whether its army had retreated or not.
News agency Reuters asked Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian “According to Indian media reports, China has retreated with tents and equipment from the Galwan Valley, where there was a clash between the two countries.” Can you confirm it has happened?

In response, Zhao Lijian said – “there is progress made on front-line troops taking effective measures to disengage and ease the tensions.” He said the Chinese and Indian troops held commander-level talks on June 30 as the two sides continued to work to implement the consensus reached at the two previous rounds of talks.
Anti-China sentiment has been growing in India since the high-altitude clash, with the government banning Chinese mobile apps including the wildly popular TikTok.

The symbolic disengagement of Indian and Chinese armies from few areas in eastern Ladakh has shown their intent to resolve the border standoff peacefully ahead of another round of military talks on Wednesday. The gesture explains that the dialogue between the two countries was successful and China too understood that bullying tactics will not work against India.

•During the ongoing de-escalation process, a violent face-off took place between Indian and Chinese troops leading to the demise of three Army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh.

•According to the Indian Army personnel, the face-off took place on Monday night, leading to “casualties on both sides.”

•First violent incident with casualties on the India-China Border, after 1975

Border- dispute between India and China has always been a hotly debated topic. Uncertainties flare on a fairly regular purpose between India and China over their 3,500-kilometre periphery and so the standoffs between the world’s most populous nations are crafting promptly. 

Indian and Chinese military commanders had been in dialogues in Galwan Valley area and Hot Springs, to work out the border-dispute but there has not been any substantial build-up activity by both sides. 

When the world is scrambling to find life-saving vaccines, there has been a loss of 3 brave beings due to violence. During the ongoing de-escalation process, a violent face-off took place last night between India and China, leading to the death of three Army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh. There was no shootout or gunshot wounds but violent hand-to-hand brawls. 

Beijing, in an aggressive statement, accused India of crossing the border, “attacking Chinese personnel”, reported AFP. China’s Foreign Ministry was quoted by Reuters as saying India should not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble. 

Army sources had said there has been disengagement between Indian and Chinese battalions at more locations where they have been in standoff positions for the last many weeks now. 

Well, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar over the recent developments in Eastern Ladakh on Tuesday. 

Till 2019, plopping the border dispute in a box was the great success of the Indian – Chinese relationship. But the violent face-off can deepen differences between the two Asian countries during the pandemic. Both nations need to act wisely to slim the likelihood of escalation.