Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being used in India since 2004 for all general elections. It mainly saves __________.

Correct option is A

Correct Answer: (A) approximately 1,50,000 trees that are required to be cut to make ballot papers for every general election
Explanation:
→ The introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) eliminated the massive physical printing of paper ballots previously required for millions of Indian voters.
→ By shifting to electronic voting, India saves about 1,50,000 trees per general election that would have otherwise been harvested to manufacture paper ballots.
→ This shift represents a major success in environmental conservation and sustainable public administration within the world's largest democracy.
→ EVMs have also improved administrative efficiency by minimizing paper waste, simplifying logistics, and reducing the storage space required for election materials.
Information Booster:
→ EVMs were first used in India on an experimental basis in 1982 in the Paravur Assembly constituency of Kerala.
→ By the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, EVMs were deployed across all polling stations in the country for the first time.
→ EVMs are designed and manufactured by two public sector undertakings: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).
→ The machines operate on stand-alone batteries and are not connected to the internet or any external network, safeguarding them from cyber hacking.
→ The VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) system was added later to allow voters to visually verify that their vote was cast correctly.