Botad district has been honoured at the national level for its innovative and technology-driven voter awareness initiative ‘BOTRON’, a humanoid robot–based voter education programme. The initiative has received a National Award under the category ‘Innovative Voter Awareness Initiatives’ on the occasion of the 16th National Voters’ Day, celebrated on January 25. Notably, Botad is the only district from Gujarat to be recognised in this category.
The award was received by Botad Collector and District Magistrate Dr. Jincy Roy from the Hon’ble President of India, Her Excellency Smt. Droupadi Murmu, during the national-level function organised in New Delhi on the occasion of the 16th National Voters’ Day.
This national recognition acknowledges India’s first structured and systematic use of robotics in the electoral process, an initiative that was conceptualised, implemented and closely supervised by the Botad District Administration.
According to district officials, the initiative originated from the Collector’s vision to reimagine voter education through advanced technology, with the objective of making electoral information engaging, accessible, standardised and citizen-centric. Robotics was identified as an effective medium to ensure consistent, accurate and bias-free dissemination of voter-related information at scale.
Under the direct guidance of the Collector, BOTRON was designed, programmed and deployed with Election Commission–compliant messaging, covering voter enrolment, correction of electoral rolls, ethical voting practices and election schedules. The Collector personally oversaw the content framework, technical configuration and location-wise deployment strategy, ensuring effective outreach at high-footfall public locations.
District officials further stated that the Collector regularly reviewed BOTRON’s field performance and citizen response, refining deployment strategies to maximise engagement—particularly among first-time voters, youth and urban populations. The initiative significantly reduced dependence on repetitive manpower-based awareness campaigns while simultaneously enhancing public interest and participation in the electoral process.
Election authorities observed that the BOTRON initiative demonstrates how district-level administrative leadership, when combined with emerging technology, can effectively strengthen democratic participation. The national award positions the Botad model as a replicable best practice for technology-enabled voter awareness initiatives across the country.
