Finance
A state-level preparatory conference was conducted on Tuesday to examine plans for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, which will commence in Odisha on May 30.
The meeting was presided over by State Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan and attended by nodal officers, Deputy Collectors (Elections), and District Information and Public Relations Officers (DIPROs) from all districts.
During the meeting, the Chief Electoral Officer urged district-level officials to carry out the SIR procedure in an efficient, transparent, and error-free way. He emphasized the importance of streamlining critical processes such as new voter registration, correction of entries, and migration to ensure that qualified voters are included on the revised electoral roll.
Officials were also urged to keep the door-to-door enumeration process simple, systematic, and free of errors. The CEO underlined the importance of preserving transparency during field-level verification actions under the SIR.
During the editing exercise, the conference also discussed ways to prevent the spread of disinformation and rumours on social media. District Information and Public Relations Officers were asked to constantly monitor online platforms and respond to any incorrect or misleading content regarding the voter list change.
To boost accessibility, officials said that all SIR enumeration forms will be made available in Odia, allowing voters in both rural and urban areas to grasp them more easily. Public awareness campaigns will also be increased to ensure that residents offer accurate information during the door-to-door survey.
The toll-free Election Helpline 1950 will be prominently advertised to help voters. Citizens can use this service to gain information about the revision process and request assistance or a call back from their local Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The Chief Electoral Officer also examined cooperation procedures between district administrations and the Election Department. Deputy Collectors (Elections) and nodal authorities were directed to improve inter-departmental collaboration so that the SIR process could be implemented smoothly.
District officials were also directed to speed up online application processing and improve the performance of Booth Level Officers in order to complete the exercise on time.
CEO R. S. Gopalan, Deputy CEO Dr. Laxmi Prasad Sahu, and other officials from the Chief Electoral Officer’s Office attended the meeting.
