Jharkhand SIR drive yet to match Maiyya Samman Yojana’s public response in Palamu
Daltonganj, July 6: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has yet to generate the level of public enthusiasm seen during…
District Election Officer Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat reviews the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Daltonganj.
Daltonganj, July 6: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has yet to generate the level of public enthusiasm seen during the rollout of the Maiyya Samman Yojana in Palamu district, as the first week of the election-related exercise progresses at a relatively slow pace.
While the launch of the Maiyya Samman Yojana saw large numbers of eligible women queueing up with documents to submit applications, the SIR exercise has so far drawn a comparatively muted response, according to officials and residents.
Social scientists contacted by The Jharkhand Story Network said the SIR is an important democratic exercise as it aims to update and verify electoral rolls. They argued that eligible electors should actively participate in the process.
Some social media platforms, they said, have portrayed the exercise primarily as one of adding and deleting names from the electoral roll. They argued that the revision process is broader and involves verifying electors’ eligibility in accordance with the Election Commission’s guidelines.
Under the ongoing exercise, electors are required to submit prescribed documents. Officials said applicants can choose from the list of approved documents. Where an Aadhaar card is submitted, it has to be accompanied by another document specified in the Election Commission’s guidelines.
Administration pushes for faster progress
Seven days have passed since booth-level officers (BLOs) began house-to-house visits on June 30, but the exercise has yet to gather momentum in many parts of Palamu.
Officials involved in the drive said women booth-level officers have been working extensively in the field, with family members in some cases assisting them in identifying electors in their respective booth areas.
The Palamu district administration has intensified efforts to accelerate the SIR exercise.
District Election Officer cum Deputy Commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat is reviewing the progress daily and has directed officials to expedite the work.
Administrative sources said the district administration is making concerted efforts to speed up the revision process.
As part of the monitoring exercise, Shekhawat made a late-night visit to the digitisation centre to review the progress of data digitisation. Officials said the SIR involves multiple stages, including field verification, collection of enumeration forms and digitisation of records.
Residents cite lack of urgency
The Jharkhand Story Network spoke to a cross-section of electors to understand the relatively low participation.
“A large number of respondents said that if the exercise had involved applications for ration cards, the turnout would have been many times higher,” the report found.
Some residents also said the absence of an immediate election in Jharkhand may have contributed to the relatively subdued response. The next Assembly election in the state is due in 2029.
They contrasted the situation with Bihar and West Bengal, where similar electoral roll revision exercises have attracted greater public attention amid the electoral calendar in those states.
Sources suggested that the district administration could issue a daily evening bulletin on the progress of the SIR exercise until July 29.
According to them, regular public updates could improve communication, create greater awareness and encourage faster completion of the exercise by field officials.
