The Election Commission or EC has launched smartcard distribution programme in 27 districts across the country.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda inaugurated the distribution work in the Sadar Upazilas via a video conference from the Election Bhaban in Agargaon on Friday.
The EC launched the programme as part of the first phase of its plan to expand the distribution to the district level.
Deputy Commissioners and local EC officials from Gopalganj, Bogra, Patuakhali, Cox's Bazar, Noakhali, Pabna, Gaibandha and Netrokona joined the conference.
Four Election Commissioners, Mahbub Talukder, Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, Acting EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed and NID wing Director General Brig Gen Mohammad Saiful Islam were present at the event.
The smartcard distribution initially began in October 2016 in the two Dhaka divisions and in Kurigram’s defunct enclaves before serially expanding to the Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, Comilla, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations.
Currently Bangladesh has 101.8 million voters on its list. The number will rise to 104.6 million after new voters are added and dead voters are purged from the lists for the upcoming eleventh parliamentary elections.
The commission has initiated the distribution in 27 out of 64 districts of the country in December, the month of victory, and targets to reach the rest in February, the month commemorating 1952 Language movement martyrs, according to bdnews24.com.
By December 2018, no citizen eligible to vote would be left without smart NID cards, said EC officials.
The distribution will be handled by the district administration and election officials.
>>Faridpur region: Gopalganj’s Tungipara and Shariatpur Sadar
>>Chittagong region: Bandarban Sadar, Khagrachhari Sadar, Cox’s Bazar Sadar and Rangamati Sadar
>>Barisal region: Pirojpur Sadar, Patuakhali Sadar, Jhalakathi Sadar and Borguna Sadar
>>Khulna region: Meherpur Sadar, Bagerhat Sadar, Narail Sadar
>>Sylhet region: Habiganj Sadar and Sunamganj Sadar
>>Rajshahi region: Bogra Sadar, Joypurhat Sadar and Pabna Sadar
>>Mymensingh region: Netrokona Sadar
>>Rangpur region: Kurigram Sadar, Lalmonirhat Sadar, Panchagarh Sadar, Gaibandha Sadar, Nilphamari Sadar, Dinajpur Sadar and Thakurgaon Sadar.
