Vote For Your City: Loopholes in India's largest cleanliness survey a concern for local bodies

TIRUCHY: While the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is keen on getting feedback from citizens to make Swachh Survekshan 2021 a success, it has miserably failed to look into the aspect of 'genuinity'. A person can submit their feedback using multiple names and mobile numbers.

This reporter has himself verified the technical flaw. Making matters worse, the person at the other end would not get any acknowledgement message regarding the votes. When TNIE raised the issue with the technical team of Tiruchy City Corporation, they admitted to it, but claimed that SS-2021 team would conduct a third-party verification.

"We are aware of the issue. When you submit your feedback by entering a mobile number, you will not receive an OTP for confirmation. But SS-2021 expert team claims that it has third party verification, meaning it will randomly select a participant and call him/her to ensure the genuinity. They might also meet them personally and record their responses regarding the vote for the survey. But, still then, they would be able to assess a maximum of 10 percent of the participants," admitted a member from the Corporation technical team.

The survey started in January is considering several factors apart from citizens' feedback. According to MoHUA website (https://swachhsurvekshan2021.org/), Swachh Survekshan is the world's largest cleanliness survey. The technical drawback has invited criticism from various quarters. Some of the technical experts opine that apart from OTP, Aadhar number of the participant should be included to check the genuinity of votes. With the survey ending onMarch 31, officials are still unsure how to deal with the matter.

The loophole!

A person can submit their feedback through Vote for Your City App, Swachhata App and Swachh Survekshan portal using multiple names and mobile numbers without the knowledge of the person as it does not send acknowledgment message.