New Delhi: Zee News? Aapka Vote Aapki Taaqat (AVAT) campaign to make voters realize the power of their ballot has been awarded the best CSR initiative of 2012 by Lions Club Awards.

According to Zee News Marketing Head Rohit Kjmar, Zee News believes and lives by its motto of Soch Badlo, Desh Badlo. In its role as a responsible media house, Zee News has been striving to strengthen Indian democracy under Aapka Vote Aapki Taaqat endeavour.

Zee News supported by the Election Commission of India launched the campaign in view of decreasing voter percentage.

?Aapka Vote Aapki Taqat? campaign was launched to show the importance of voting and to sensitize voters to ensure a responsive and accountable government is in place. The campaign includes signature campaign, skits, rallies and street plays across the state across college and universities. The role of AVAT in awakening the nation, particularly in the current year, has been so significant that it has now received the coveted Lion?s Club SOL awards for being the best CSR campaign of 2012.

Zee News has been taking this initiative to various states where elections have been announced since the year 2009. Zee News has successfully conducted the campaign in Assembly elections of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Kumar said Zee News is committed to create awareness in Indian citizenry of their voting rights and wishes to educate them to cast their ballot judiciously. Given the different cultures and lifestyles of Indians, Zee News does not want to leave any stone unturned to reach to the grassroots of the country and we are happy to be organising and executing country?s largest voter awareness campaign, ?Aapka Vote Aapki Taaqat?. The campaign is one of its kind that has not only reached the grass root of India, but involved the youth of India in association with various youth influential organisations.?

He added, ?The voter education initiative are being spread not just on Television, but through Radio, Internet, Mobiles and other conventional mediums covering the Cities, towns and continuing down to the hundreds of villages. Zee News has a singular objective in mind ? to turn the world?s biggest democracy into a force to reckon with. Zee News will continue its mission to empower the Indian voters?.