The Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched the UMEED Central Portal, which stands for Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency & Development.
- Purpose: It is a centralized digital platform designed for real-time uploading, verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties.
- Legal Basis: Launched under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, giving it a legal mandate for digitization.
- Implementation: State Waqf Boards are responsible for overseeing the registration drive.
- Features: Key features include creating a digital inventory with geo-tagging of all Waqf properties, an online grievance redressal system, and GIS mapping.
Election Commission of India (ECI) Index Cards
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has modernized its system for generating Index Cards.
- Definition: Index Cards are a non-statutory, post-election statistical reporting format created by the ECI itself. They form the basis for Statistical Reports for both Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.
- Objective: To enhance transparency and data accessibility at the constituency level for various stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, journalists, and the public.
- Data Included: The cards provide comprehensive data, such as:
- Candidate- and party-wise vote shares.
- Votes polled and counted.
- Elector demographics.
- Gender-based voting patterns.
- Regional variations.
- Performance of political parties, including Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs).
- Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs): These are parties registered with the ECI but do not have sufficient electoral performance to be recognized as State or National parties. Consequently, they do not receive privileges like reserved election symbols or free broadcast time on state media.
- Modernization: Previously, data was manually recorded on physical cards and then digitized. The new system is an automated, integrated digital system.
- Significance: This modernization promotes transparency, facilitates research and informed policymaking, ensures timely and accurate election data, and strengthens democratic accountability.
Related Constitutional Framework:
- Article 324: Grants the ECI the power to conduct and supervise elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President, including the authority to implement technological upgrades for free and fair elections.
- Article 325: Prohibits discrimination in electoral rolls based on religion, race, caste, or sex, supporting inclusive voter data.
- Article 326: Mandates elections based on adult suffrage, emphasizing the importance of transparent electoral data like Index Cards.