The Salesian Province of Hyderabad (INH) hosted an online training workshop on Monday, June 15, to educate Salesians, and lay collaborators on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The initiative comes at a critical juncture as the SIR process is currently underway across both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, drawing intense focus from civil society groups aiming to ensure electoral accuracy.
The primary objective of the virtual assembly was to conscientize the participants as active NGO representatives and equip them with a thorough understanding of the SIR process and voter ID mapping. Organizers emphasized that trained collaborators will play a vital role on the ground, serving as an intermediary resource to assist both Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and local citizens residing within the jurisdictions of various Salesian institutions.
The program featured several civil society leaders and technical experts who outlined the administrative and practical steps required to navigate the voter revision drive. Fr. Santiguo Thomas SDB, the Provincial, opened the session by highlighting the civic responsibility of institutional networks during revision cycles.
Fr Thomas Pallithanam SDB, province delegate for Justice & Peace Commission, introduced the panel and thanked for their availability. Mr Ramesh Patnaik from Meluko AP provided the foundational context of the current electoral roll updates in the Telugu states. Mr Khalid Naveed of the Movement for Peace and Justice led the core presentation, detailing the technical mechanisms of the SIR process. His briefing focused on how NGOs can accurately map voter IDs, verify registrations, and rectify discrepancies.
The meeting concluded with an active question-and-answer session led by Mr Khalid Naveed and Mr Koutharapu Prasad of the Prajaswamya Parirakshana Aikya Vedika. The discussion allowed Salesians and lay collaborators to address specific logistical challenges faced at the local level. The panel provided clarifications on how to coordinate effectively with government-appointed BLOs to streamline voter registration and verification for citizens in marginalized or complex institutional localities.