Why Punjab Cm Bhagwant Mann Is Linking The Sir Exercise To Welfare Schemes

The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway across Punjab, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) carrying out door-to-door verification of voters.

While the exercise is aimed at updating the state’s electoral rolls, with Punjab set to hold Legislative Assembly polls next year, it has also sparked a political debate. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has urged people to complete the process, saying it would not only safeguard their right to vote but also help them continue receiving benefits under government welfare schemes.

The Chief Minister’s remarks have raised questions about whether the two practices are linked and what happens to people who do not complete the process.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a voter list verification exercise that the ECI is conducting to update and verify electoral rolls.

Under the exercise, BLOs are visiting households to verify voter details and collect enumeration forms across the country. The drive began on June 25 in Punjab, and the house-to-house verification will continue until July 24. A draft electoral roll will be published on August 3, claims and objections can be filed until September 2, and the final electoral roll will be published on October 1.

The ECI has deployed more than 24,000 BLOs to carry out door-to-door verification of over 2.14 crore electors across Punjab. During the exercise, voters are required to verify their personal details and submit the prescribed forms and supporting documents, wherever required. Election officials have said the objective is to prepare an accurate and updated electoral roll for future elections.

Initially, Mann alleged that the BJP could attempt to remove genuine voters during the revision and asked AAP workers to remain vigilant during the process. Of late, however, he has urged eligible voters to participate, saying it was necessary not only to safeguard their right to vote but to continue receiving benefits under various state government welfare schemes. Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar made similar comments recently.

Mann specifically mentioned that completing the SIR process would help people continue availing benefits under schemes such as the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana for monthly financial assistance to women.

Under the scheme, eligible women receive Rs 1,000 per month, while eligible Scheduled Caste women receive Rs 1,500 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Schemes targeted at women beneficiaries have been electorally important for political parties in recent years.

Before Mann’s comments, the new Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal explicitly said that electors deleted from the SIR will not be provided rations and access to other government welfare schemes.

Beyond West Bengal’s mandate, there is no direct link between the electoral roll and government schemes and services. However, a voter ID card or inclusion in the electoral roll is commonly accepted as a supporting document for welfare schemes such as the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana.

Defending the SIR in the Supreme Court last year, the ECI had also said the exercise was a revision of the electoral rolls, not a determination of citizenship.

In its judgment upholding the EC’s right to conduct the SIR in May, the Supreme Court said, “The consequence of such a determination is correspondingly limited. It affects the individual’s entitlement to be included in the electoral roll, and thereby their right to participate in the electoral process. It does not, however, operate to divest the individual of claims of citizenship, nor does it foreclose a determination of that question by the Competent Authority under the Citizenship Act.”

The citizenship debate was renewed recently in the case of R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph, who was allegedly unable to renew his passport after his name was deleted from the West Bengal electoral rolls during the SIR.

Officials of the Punjab Social Security Department said that voter IDs are also accepted for the Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana, under which eligible beneficiaries can avail themselves of free medical treatment worth up to Rs 10 lakh.

Other schemes where a voter ID card or electoral roll serves as an important proof of identity, age or domicile in Punjab include:

*Old Age Pension Scheme (Rs 1,500 per month for eligible senior citizens) *Widow and Destitute Women Pension Scheme (Rs 1,500 per month) *Punjab Ashirwad Scheme, which provides a one-time financial assistance of Rs 51,000 for the marriage of eligible girls from Scheduled Caste, Backward Class and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) families *Registration under the Punjab Labour Card *National Family Benefit Scheme, which provides a one-time assistance of Rs 20,000 to families after the death of the primary breadwinner.

In a pre-election year, a potentially large number of voters losing access to welfare on account of the SIR could throw up challenges for the ruling party.