BLOs disappointed over paltry pay for hectic SIR work

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Kerala, often hailed as the grassroots champions of democracy, say they feel betrayed after being paid just ₹2,000 for months of work during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The amount has come as a shock, especially since many expected ₹6,000, the incentive announced during a similar exercise in Bihar last year. The incentive is yet to be paid to BLOs in several Assembly constituencies.

Most BLOs, drawn from various government departments, say the payment does not even cover their out-of-pocket expenses. Their work began well before the enumeration phase, which ran from November 4 to December 18, starting with the mapping of existing voter rolls against the base list of 2002. This was followed by intensive field visits and, later, the hearing and verification stages.