DehradunUttarakhand Election Commission is preparing for Pre-SIR as an exercise before SIR, the aim of which is to verify about 70 percent of the voters, So that when SIR is done, this process can be completed as per the convenience of the common people, The State Election Commission team is preparing for this, but along with the geographical location of Uttarakhand, the social situation can also bring challenges for them because Uttarakhand is a state with different conditions compared to other states, in which collecting data on hilly areas can be a challenging task,
Why is SIR important?
Professor Ravi of the Department of Sociology of DAV PG College, Dehradun, says that he welcomes the decision of the government on SIR, because from time to time there should be such SIR in the state and country, which strengthens democracy. He believes that there is a variation in the population every 5 to 10 years. Because many people die and many people are born and new voters are also formed. That is why such revisions should be done from time to time so that the actual population and data can be ascertained and it should be done with fairness as per the display. In which the public should also cooperate with the government. This process is as complicated as it is necessary for the state, because this state is connected to the borders of India, Nepal, China and Tibet.
Migration can become the biggest challenge
Professor Ravi says that the biggest problem for Uttarakhand has always been migration, which has almost emptied many mountain villages. Now the voter lists will be updated through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Then, due to this migration and a specific social aspect – the daughters-in-law who have come from Nepal – a big crisis is emerging.
With the sting of migration, villages are becoming vacant and the challenge of voter data.
Professor Ravi says that even decades after the formation of the state, due to lack of better employment, education and health facilities, youth are continuously moving towards cities and plain areas. Due to men going out, the gender ratio in the villages is becoming unbalanced, which affects the social fabric. Due to lack of youth, agricultural production is declining and fertile lands are becoming barren. The Election Commission wants to remove fake or double entries by matching them with the voter list of 2003, but due to migration, the number of voters has decreased in the hills, while the number has increased in the plains. Removing the names of people who have migrated from the voter list will be a complex process, as it will not be easy to verify their absence. At the same time, if a migrating youth votes at a new place, his name may be removed from his native village. This can also be a challenge, but the government can find a way for this too. On the other hand, it will be difficult for the Election Commission team and BLO to compile the data because who and how will they be able to contact the vacant houses in the deserted village, but Pre-SIR is being done only to remove these facilities.
Daughter-in-law from Nepal will become a challenge
Pro. Ravi said that in the hilly areas of the state, due to proximity to the Nepal border and socio-cultural similarity, there is a large number of women who have married from Nepal. These women have obtained Indian citizenship, but there is a special challenge in their verification in the SIR process. Under SIR, these women will have to prove their identity and eligibility through documents related to their foreign (Nepal) maternal home. In many cases, due to long time since marriage or limited literacy, these women do not have adequate and valid documents related to their maternal home, they may also face problems. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will have to put in extra efforts for thorough investigation and verification in these cases, which can make the process slow and complicated.
