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Bengal Finally Pays BLOs: How ECI Pressure Secured Rs 51 Crore

After constant pressure from the Election Commission of India, the West Bengal government has finally released funds for its Booth Level Officers. The first installment of Rs 51 crore was paid out for the BLOs working on the voter list revision. These officers, who are state government employees, had a total of Rs 70 crore due to them. Their critical work involves going door-to-door to update voter rolls ahead of the draft list publication.

Key Points: West Bengal Releases Rs 51 Crore for BLO Pay After ECI Push

  • West Bengal released Rs 51 crore as first payment for BLOs after repeated ECI communications
  • A total of Rs 70 crore was due to the state government for BLO remuneration
  • About 81,000 BLOs are engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise
  • The SIR exercise involves BLOs distributing and collecting voter enumeration forms
2 min read

Under ECI pressure, Bengal govt releases first tranche for BLO remuneration during SIR

Under ECI pressure, West Bengal releases Rs 51 crore for 81,000 Booth Level Officers' pay amid the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.

"Finally, on Monday, the state government released the first instalment of funds for BLO remuneration. - State Official"

Kolkata, Dec 8

Under constant pressure and repeated insistence from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the West Bengal government, on Monday, finally released the first installment of funds for paying the remuneration for the booth-level officers (BLOs) appointed for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.

In this installment, an amount of Rs 51 crore had been released, confirmed an official from the state finance department.

Last week, the commission informed that a total of Rs 70 crore was due from the state government on account of BLO remuneration, since, as per protocol, it is the state government concerned which is supposed to bear the remuneration of the BLOs, who are basically state government employees.

The commission also informed last week that it had sent two consecutive communications to the state secretariat, Nabanna, for the release of funds under this head. Finally, on Monday, the state government released the first instalment of funds for BLO remuneration.

The BLOs involved in the ongoing SIR exercise are supposed to receive about Rs 14,000, while the BLO supervisors are supposed to receive Rs 18,000. Currently, 81,000 BLOs are engaged in the SIR exercise in the state.

The task of the BLOs, which started with the beginning of the SIR exercise on November 4, will end with the publication of the draft voters' list on December 16. The role of the BLOs in the first stage involved the distribution of enumeration forms, the collection of duly filled forms, and uploading the same on the BLO app.

In the first phases, several BLOs have been cautioned after they were found distributing and collecting the forms from a particular place, asking the voters to come to that place instead of following the commission-prescribed norm of going to the voters' doorstep for both collection and distribution of those forms.

In the first stage, there had been reports of suicides and deaths of the BLOs, allegedly because of the pressure of SIR-related workload.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Rs 14,000 for such intensive work? With the current prices of everything, this is too low. And the news of suicides due to workload pressure is heartbreaking. We need to value our ground-level workers more. Their mental health matters.
R
Rohit P
Good step by ECI to ensure accountability. The integrity of the voter list is the foundation of fair elections. If BLOs are not paid, they might cut corners or be vulnerable to influence. Timely payment is a must for impartial work.
A
Ananya R
The report says some BLOs were collecting forms from a central spot instead of door-to-door. This is a serious lapse. It can exclude many voters, especially elderly or those in remote areas. ECI must monitor this strictly. Every vote counts!
D
David E
Interesting to see the process. Releasing 51 crore out of 70 crore due is a start, but why not the full amount? The workload on 81,000 officers is massive. Hope the remaining funds come through quickly without more reminders.
K
Kavya N
As a relative of a BLO, I can say the pressure is real. Long hours, dealing with public queries, and meeting deadlines. The government should provide better support systems, not just pay. Their well-being ensures a better electoral roll for all of us.

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