Agartala, Nov 30 (IANS)

To avoid duplication and forgery, the Election Commission has decided to provide plastic Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) instead of the current laminated paper card to all voters in India, officials said here Saturday.

"The new PVC (plastic) EPIC has many scientific security features to prevent duplication, forging and tampering. Tripura is probably the first state in India to introduce the newly designed EPIC," state Chief Electoral Officer Ashutosh Jindal told reporters.

He said that unlike the present paper voter's card, the PVC-EPIC has inserted coded information of the elector.

The new PVC-EPIC was formally introduced Saturday here by Tripura Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar Panda. Some voters received the new cards Saturday.

The new card is being issued through the Common Service Centre of the central government's Information Technology department.

"The information and government logos of the new EPIC would be visible only in ultraviolet light," said Siladitya Sarkar, regional manager of the Information Technology department.

Delivery of the new PVC-EPIC cards would also start in Mizoram next week and then in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

Jindal said Tripura would also be the first state in the country to introduce online process of all types of applications of new and existing voters.