Bengaluru, Sep 16 (IANS): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister, G. Parameshwara, on Wednesday directed officials to ensure that people who have shifted to other places for various reasons are not excluded from the electoral rolls during the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state.
Chairing a revenue department progress review meeting with Deputy Commissioners from all districts through videoconference at Vidhana Soudha, Dy CM Parameshwara said mapping of 43.81 lakh voters across the state was yet to be completed.
He said notices had been issued for correction of names and other electoral roll-related issues and directed officials to take steps to ensure that no eligible voter was left out of the electoral rolls.
“There should be no delay in issuing Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs). Greater attention should be given to Form 6. There is a possibility that voters who have left their native places and have been residing elsewhere for several years may be excluded from the electoral rolls. This should not be neglected,” he said
Dy CM Parameshwara directed officials to record the necessary details of people who have shifted to other places as part of the SIR process.
Dy CM Parameshwara also directed officials to speed up the registration process for Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas, describing it as a flagship initiative of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
“The process of registering the Sanghas, appointing mentors and starting the organisations should be expedited. The process had been halted due to technical issues. Application forms should be distributed and filled out immediately,” he said.
He said the Bharat Jodo Yuva Sangha programme was being implemented for the first time in the country and would bring recognition to the government and officials.
He directed officials to expedite the disposal of applications received under the Prajaseva Abhiyan, noting that a large number of applications were related to the Revenue Department.
Applications concerning RTC corrections, pension-related issues and other revenue matters should be disposed of at the earliest, he said.
He added that the procedures relating to RTC and phodi cases had been simplified. Officials were directed to seek guidance from senior officers and take further action wherever there were any difficulties.
Dy CM Parameshwara also directed officials not to neglect the programme to provide housing sites to poor families.
He said the scheme had received a positive response from the public and officials should take it seriously. In some districts, the identification of land had not yet been completed.
“The process of identifying land for developing sites should be completed by the end of this month. This should not be neglected. Senior officials will provide technical support,” he said.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department R.K. Kataria, Disaster Management Department Secretary Manoj Kumar Meena, Revenue Commissioner Meena Nagaraj and Commissioner of the Department of Survey, Settlement and Land Records Venkataraj, among others, attended the meeting.
It can be noted that the Election Commission of India’s SIR draft rolls in Karnataka deleted over 1.07 crore names (about 19.5 per cent of total voters) under the ‘Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead, and Others’ (ASDDO)’ category, with an additional 43.80 lakh voters flagged to receive notices for discrepancies, triggering widespread public anxiety and political concern.
