ComET

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ComET Communication Plan for Election Tracking
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Communication Plan

• A Perfect Communication Plan is an essential
  component of an effective Election Management
  System.
• It enables micro-management of elections,
  concurrent tracking and evaluation of issues and
  mid-course corrections.
• It helps the perception management and creates
  a huge psychological presence
• It helps the prioritization for intervention.
• It builds confidence.

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Communication Plan

• CP minimizes the response time.
• Enhances Transparency.
• As the free and fair elections is not only an end
  product but, a process in itself, effective
  information management energizes the process at
  every level.
• Piloting during recent general elections (Madhya
  Pradesh, Rajasthan) proved the efficacy of the
  concept.
• ComET seeks to upscale the plan for a country
  wide application during GE 2009

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What is ComET

• ComET is SEARCH enabled Database of Polling
  Station level communication contact points for
  focused tracking on the poll day.
• The Plan operates through a well structured
  multi-layer Communication Teams (CTs)
• ARO (Assembly segment level),
• DEO (District Level)
• CEO (State Level)
• ECI (National Level )
• Communication Teams will have clear demarcation
  of geographical areas and communication-related
  responsibilities geared to quick crisis
  resolution and grievance monitoring and
  information flow.

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ComET- How it works?

• The ECI has issued circulars on communication
  plan which are available on the front page of the
  Commissions website
• Communication Plan circular 1 Dated 28th
  March,09 puts forth
• Format 1 for Polling Station level CP
• Format 2A for ARO (Assembly segment) level
  Communication Team groups of 10 to 25 Polling
  Stations to be assigned to 1 member of ARO level
  Communication Team.
• Format 2B for DEO (District) level
  Communication Team each AC to be given to 2 or
  more persons in the Communication Team.
• Format 2C for CEO (State) level Communication
  Team each PC/ District to be given to 2 or more
  persons in the Communication Team.

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ComET- How it works?

• The Election Commission of India has established
  a well equipped Control Room for the purpose of
  running the Communication Plan on the poll days.
• The Communication Teams at ECI Head Quarters will
  track Poll Day events through State Level,
  District Level, AC level and at the Polling
  Station level.
• OK reports and comfort messages will be
  obtained on pre-identified issues and events.
• Significant events at any locations will be
  monitored in a focused manner.

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ComET- Is about Team Work

• Every member of the Communication Team at each
  tier, and the Polling Station level Communication
  Plan must know all contact numbers and other
  details of all the persons associated with him in
  related higher and lower tiers.
• Every body in the Communication Plan setup must
  be clear as to WHO IS TO TALK TO WHOM, AND HOW.
• Communication will be professional, focused,
  within the time frame given for tracking
  specific mile-stone feed-backs.
• No extra word will be spoken.
• It is not a free-for all, causal communication
  plan. It is about getting the correct information
  from the correct location by the correct persons
  to be passed on to the correct persons in a
  correct manner in correct time.

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Organizational Tree for the Communication Plan
Level 1
ECI
Level 2
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
CEO
Level 3
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO

DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO
DEO

Level 4
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
ARO
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
Zone/Sector
.
Level 5
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations
Polling Stations

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ComET- The Logistics

• The Team Members of ARO, DEO and CEO level
  Communication Teams should be given adequate
• Landline phone connections
• Mobile phone connections
• Fax lines
• E-mail connections with computers/ printers
• (If the ARO, DEO and CEO level Communication
  Team, as well as the contacts in the Polling
  Station level CP, use their personal mobiles/
  resources for the purpose of running the CP on
  the day of the poll or during dry runs/
  rehearsals, they should be suitably reimbursed
  for the expense they incur in this regard by the
  CEO office.)

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ComET- Deadlines

• All Polling Station CP information was to be
  manually collected in handwriting in copies of
  Format 1 at DEO levels by 2nd April, 2009.
• All information in Formats 2A, 2B, 2C was to be
  sent on the e-mail addresses
• ecicp2009_at_gmail.com and ashishs_at_eci.gov.in
• latest by 6th April, 2009.

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ComET- Deadlines

• All data entries of Format 1 on the URL
  http//ecicp.nic.in to be completed in a
  staggered manner phase wise as follows
• Phase Number Original T/L Revised T/L
• Phase 1 6 April, 2009 11 April, 2009
• Phase 2 8 April, 2009 14 April, 2009
• Phase 3 10 April, 2009 17 April, 2009
• Phase 4 13 April, 2009 20 April, 2009
• Phase 5 15 April, 2009 24 April, 2009

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ComET- The Access

• In order to facilitate faster data entry in the
  web form for Format 1
• A number of NIC servers across the country have
  been made available for hosting this application
  and database.
• CEOs can ask their SIO of NIC to explore the
  possibility of hosting their states databases
  (along with the application) at the state level.
• Phase-wise, PC-wise PDFs of Polling Station wise
  CP data with SEARCH option are being prepared at
  the ECI.
• ECI shall attempt to make available to CEOs
  PC-wise PDFs for every phase, which the CEOs can
  further provide to the ROs/ DEOs in their states.
  
• SIOs of NIC can on parallel basis explore the
  possibility of doing the same in their states.
• (For data entry the application has been written
  with SQL back-end and ASP front-end).

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ComET- The Access

• Analysis and Report options are disabled from
  time to time for the state/ district levels (in
  order to reduce the load arising from such
  queries on servers).
• CEOs are requested to collect daily District-wise
  progress of data entry of Polling Station CP on
  the web-form through direct information gathering
  and inform the ECI of the same.

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MOCK-RUNS / REHEARSALS

• OBJECTIVE
• To make every person, who is a part of the CP
  set-up - at the PS, ARO, DEO/ RO, CEO, ECI levels
  have hands-on awareness, knowledge and practise
  about his role and responsibilities in the CP.
• SCHEDULE
• Phase Number 1st Mock-Run 2nd Mock-Run
• Phase 1 13 April, 2009 14 April, 2009
• Phase 2 18 April, 2009 20 April, 2009
• Phase 3 25 April, 2009 27 April, 2009
• Phase 4 2 May, 2009 4 May, 2009
• Phase 5 9 May, 2009 11 May, 2009
• TIME 2 PM to 4 PM

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ComET Precautions

• Keep conversation brief and to-the-point to keep
  the communication channels free from being jammed
  and congested.
• Ensure constant contacts with service provider
  and ensure the net-works are in good health.
• Ensure that every person in the hierarchy, who is
  a part of the CP, is fully supplied with all the
  contact numbers and other details of all the
  related persons above and below him in the CP
  hierarchy.
• Try and keep separate phone lines for incoming
  and outgoing phone calls, where ever possible.

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ComET Poll Day Priorities

• Poll day Collection of Information about
• Conduct of mock-poll and mock-poll certificate
• Presence and absence of polling agents (specially
  during mock-poll)
• EVM malfunctioning and replacement-time
• Tracking of voting by voters from pre-identified
  vulnerable locations
• Percentage polling from time to time
• Use of EPIC and other identification documents
• Significant events at polling stations if any
• And other reports which must be made available in
  TimeLimits.
• For the Poll day, Do
• Ensure that coverage of mobiles, telephones etc
  gets maximized.
• Enlist and ensure co-operation from individuals
  whose telephone numbers have been incorporated in
  CP with their consent.

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ComET The Scope

• The efficacy of this Communication Plan actually
  depends on how many focused calls made by
  Communication Teams on the poll day at every
  level.
• It is not about how many calls will be made from
  New Delhi but about how many calls are made to
  polling stations by AC/ DEO/ CEO teams.
• Except for random verifications, the tracking
  protocol should be adhered to. But, random
  contacts from any level to any level is a MUST.

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ComET Let us take the Call.

• We Promise to Make Calls from National Control
  Room to Polling Stations across the country, the
  CEOs control rooms, DEO control rooms and AC
  control rooms.
• The Commission expects that every body who is
  part of this CP, anticipates the Call and he
  TAKES THE CALL.
• Let us TAKE THE CALL.
• THIS is THE CALL that WE WONT MISS.

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THANKS