Hyderabad, 29 July
SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes: Telangana CEO Clarifies as August 3 Deadline Nears
Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy has clarified that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has no connection whatsoever with government welfare schemes, stating that the exercise is being conducted exclusively to prepare an accurate and error-free electoral roll.
The CEO made the clarification on Wednesday, July 29, while reviewing the progress of the SIR exercise with District Election Officers (DEOs) and district collectors through a video conference.
The review focused particularly on the digitisation of enumeration forms, with only five days remaining before the August 3 deadline for submission.
SIR has no link with welfare schemes, Telangana CEO says
The Telangana CEO reiterated that the SIR exercise is solely related to electoral rolls and should not be linked to welfare schemes implemented by the state government.
The clarification comes as election officials continue the statewide exercise to update and verify electoral information and prepare an accurate voter list.
The CEO directed election officials to ensure that voters are provided with accurate information about the purpose of the SIR process and that the exercise is completed within the stipulated timeline.
The SIR has no link with welfare schemes, and the enumeration process is intended only to help prepare an accurate and error-free electoral roll. SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
Only five days left to submit enumeration forms
With the August 3 deadline approaching, the CEO directed officials across Telangana to accelerate the digitisation of enumeration forms.
According to the review, 76 per cent of the digitisation process had been completed by Wednesday.
Sudharshan Reddy instructed all districts to achieve 100 per cent digitisation by August 3, leaving officials with only five days to complete the remaining work.
The CEO also reviewed the progress made in different Assembly constituencies and appreciated officials who had already completed the digitisation process. SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
Eight Assembly constituencies achieve 100% digitisation
Officials in several constituencies were specifically appreciated for completing 100 per cent digitisation.
These include:
- Khanapur
- Balkonda
- Yellareddy
- Huzurnagar
- Narsampet
- Wardhannapet
- Parkal
- Boath
The CEO appreciated the efforts of election officials in these constituencies and urged other districts to replicate the progress before the deadline. SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
Special focus ordered on urban areas; SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
Sudharshan Reddy directed DEOs to give special attention to urban areas, where officials still need to accelerate the digitisation process.
The areas specifically mentioned during the review include:
- Serilingampally
- Rangareddy
- Medchal
- Greater Hyderabad
- Nizamabad
- Warangal
- Khammam
The CEO instructed officials to ensure that digitisation work in these areas is completed within the stipulated timeline.
The focus on urban constituencies is particularly important because of their large and often highly mobile electorates, making accurate electoral data and timely verification crucial to the SIR process.
Polling stations to be rationalised as per ECI guidelines; SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
The CEO also directed officials to expedite the rationalisation of polling stations in accordance with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
One of the instructions was to ensure that members of the same family are assigned to the same polling station, wherever applicable under the prescribed guidelines.
Officials have been asked to review existing polling arrangements and complete the rationalisation process while adhering to the ECI’s instructions.
ASD voter lists require political party representatives’ signatures
The CEO also issued directions regarding the preparation of lists of Absent, Shifted and Dead (ASD) voters.
He instructed officials to obtain the signatures of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) representing all recognised political parties while preparing the ASD lists.
The process is intended to ensure transparency and proper verification while identifying voters who are absent, have shifted from their registered address or are deceased.
VIP and VVIP voters to be identified and mapped
Another key instruction concerned the identification of VIP and VVIP electors.
The CEO directed officials to identify and map their electoral details as part of the ongoing revision exercise.
Officials have been asked to ensure that electoral information is properly updated and mapped while following the prescribed procedures. SIR Has No Link With Welfare Schemes
Telangana SIR digitisation reaches 76%
The review comes at a crucial stage of the SIR exercise, with the state having completed 76 per cent of enumeration-form digitisation as of July 29.
With the deadline set for August 3, election officials have been directed to complete the remaining work without delay.
The CEO’s instructions cover not only digitisation but also polling-station rationalisation, ASD voter verification and mapping of VIP and VVIP electors.
The overall objective remains the preparation of an accurate, transparent and error-free electoral roll.
Key points from Telangana CEO’s SIR review
| Key detail | Information |
|---|---|
| SIR purpose | Preparation of an accurate and error-free electoral roll |
| Link with welfare schemes | No connection |
| Telangana CEO | C Sudharshan Reddy |
| Digitisation completed | 76% |
| Target | 100% digitisation |
| Enumeration form deadline | August 3 |
| Review held on | July 29 |
| Focus areas | Digitisation, polling stations, ASD voters and elector mapping |
| ASD | Absent, Shifted and Dead voters |
| Political party role | BLAs of recognised parties to sign ASD lists |
| Polling station instruction | Rationalisation as per ECI guidelines |
| Special attention | Urban and high-volume areas |
What voters need to know about the SIR exercise
The CEO’s latest clarification is aimed at making the purpose of the electoral-roll revision clear to voters.
The SIR has no link with welfare schemes and is being undertaken for electoral-roll preparation rather than determining eligibility for government welfare benefits.
As officials work towards the August 3 deadline, voters should ensure that they provide the required information through the prescribed electoral-roll revision process and follow official instructions issued by election authorities.
Meanwhile, DEOs and district collectors have been directed to accelerate digitisation and complete the remaining work within the deadline.
With 76 per cent of digitisation already completed, the administration now has five days to achieve the target of 100 per cent digitisation across Telangana.