SIR: India’s voter roll revision is worrying migrant workers – BBC

Report on the Socio-Economic Impact of India’s Electoral Roll Revision on Migrant Workers and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1.0 Introduction: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Exercise

On November 4, India’s Election Commission (EC) initiated a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and federally administered regions. This report analyzes the exercise’s impact on vulnerable migrant worker populations, particularly in Delhi’s Rangpuri Pahari slum, and evaluates its alignment with several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Objective: The stated aim is to create an accurate electoral roll by including all eligible voters and removing ineligible names.
• Scope: The exercise covers approximately 510 million voters, more than half of India’s total electorate.
• Methodology: The process involves door-to-door verification by booth-level officers, with an option for online submission.

2.0 Conflict with Sustainable Development Goals

The implementation of the SIR presents significant challenges to the achievement of multiple SDGs, disproportionately affecting economically marginalized migrant workers.

2.1 SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

The SIR exercise imposes severe economic hardships that threaten the livelihoods of migrant workers, directly undermining efforts to eradicate poverty and promote decent work.

• Financial Duress: Workers face the choice between undertaking costly, unplanned trips to their home villages for verification or forgoing the process. This expense is often prohibitive for those living hand-to-mouth.
• Loss of Income: Taking leave from jobs in the unorganized sector (e.g., domestic help, construction) results in a direct loss of wages, pushing families closer to poverty.
• Job Insecurity: As expressed by worker Anjali Mondol, taking unauthorized leave risks permanent job replacement, jeopardizing long-term economic stability.

2.2 SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

The SIR process exacerbates existing inequalities by placing a heavier burden on migrant populations compared to settled residents.

• Digital Divide: While the EC promotes an online verification option, most migrant workers lack the digital literacy or trust in the system to use it, creating a barrier to access.
• Documentation Barriers: Discrepancies in official documents, such as differing addresses on national identity cards (Aadhaar) and voter rolls, are common among mobile populations and create significant hurdles for verification.
• Exclusion from Welfare: Workers fear that failure to comply could affect their access to essential government welfare schemes, further deepening socio-economic divides.

2.3 SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions)

The exercise introduces instability into migrant communities and raises questions about the inclusivity of public institutions.

• Community Anxiety: The SIR has created a sense of anxiety and uncertainty within urban slums, undermining the goal of creating safe and resilient communities.
• Access to Justice and Legal Identity: For workers from border states like West Bengal, the process has ignited fears of being wrongfully asked to prove citizenship, challenging the principle of legal identity for all (Target 16.9).
• Institutional Inclusivity: The current implementation appears to overlook the unique circumstances of India’s 139 million internal migrants, raising concerns about whether state institutions are sufficiently responsive and participatory.

3.0 Key Procedural Issues and Official Response

Specific procedural requirements and the official response from the Election Commission highlight the gap between policy intent and on-the-ground reality.

1. Documentation Requirements: The process requires supplementary documents (birth certificates, school records, etc.) for those not on reference rolls from 2002-2004, a significant challenge for many workers.
2. Conflicting Directives: An EC order dated October 27 stated that “No document is to be collected from electors during the enumeration phase,” creating confusion.
3. Logistical Impossibility: For workers from states with impending elections, such as West Bengal, the requirement to travel for the SIR and again for voting within a few months is logistically and financially unfeasible.

3.1 Election Commission’s Stance

• The EC maintains the process is transparent and has been designed for convenience.
• It has reiterated that online options are available for non-resident electors and that adult family members can submit physical forms on behalf of others.
• The commission has assured that sufficient time will be provided for claims and objections.

4.0 Conclusion and Recommendations

The SIR exercise, while aimed at strengthening democratic processes, is inadvertently undermining progress towards key SDGs by imposing undue burdens on India’s most vulnerable migrant workers. To mitigate these negative impacts and ensure the process is equitable, the following is recommended:

• Establishment of dedicated assistance desks in major cities to help migrant workers navigate the verification process.
• Launch targeted awareness campaigns to address the specific concerns of migrant communities and clarify procedural requirements.
• Adoption of more flexible verification methods that do not necessitate physical travel, thereby protecting the economic security and rights of all citizens in line with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues faced by migrant workers in Delhi, which directly relate to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The following SDGs are addressed:

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The article describes the workers as living “hand-to-mouth” and fearing the loss of wages, which directly impacts their economic stability and pushes them closer to poverty. Their concern about losing access to “welfare schemes” also connects to this goal.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The workers are employed in the “unorganised sector” and “lack job security.” The fear of being replaced if they take leave for the electoral revision process underscores the precarious nature of their employment, which is contrary to the principles of decent work.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The article focuses on a vulnerable and marginalized group—migrant workers—who face disproportionate challenges in exercising their political rights compared to the rest of the population. The electoral revision process, in its current form, risks deepening the political and social exclusion of this group.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The entire narrative is set in “Rangpuri Pahari, a slum in India’s capital Delhi,” which houses thousands of migrant workers. This highlights the challenge of providing adequate and inclusive living conditions for all urban dwellers, especially those in informal settlements.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – The core of the article revolves around the electoral roll revision exercise (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission. It questions the inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility of this institutional process. The workers’ struggle with official documents, legal identity (Aadhaar), and the right to vote are central themes of this goal.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all.
   • Explanation: The article mentions that “Workers also worry that the SIR could affect their access to welfare schemes.” This directly relates to the implementation and accessibility of social protection systems for vulnerable populations like migrant workers.
2. Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers… and those in precarious employment.
   • Explanation: The workers are described as being part of the “unorganised sector” with a “lack of job security.” Anjali Mondol’s statement, “If I take leave now, I will lose my salary… And someone else could replace me,” perfectly illustrates the precarious employment conditions faced by migrant workers, which this target aims to address.
3. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… economic or other status.
   • Explanation: The electoral revision process is creating a significant barrier for migrant workers to remain on the electoral rolls, thereby threatening their “political inclusion.” The difficulty in participating in the SIR due to their economic status and geographic displacement is a clear example of the challenges this target seeks to overcome.
4. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
   • Explanation: The article identifies the setting as “Rangpuri Pahari, a slum in India’s capital Delhi,” where “thousands of migrant workers” reside. This points directly to the existence of slums and the need to improve living conditions for their inhabitants.
5. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • Explanation: The potential disenfranchisement of millions of migrant workers due to the SIR process directly undermines representative decision-making. The call for “help desks” and more awareness shows a need for a more responsive and inclusive process from the Election Commission to ensure all eligible citizens can participate.
6. Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.
   • Explanation: The article highlights significant challenges related to legal identity. Kusum Devi’s Aadhaar card showing a different address from her voter registration and the requirement for citizens to produce documents like “birth or caste certificates, passports, school records” to enroll points to the critical importance of having a consistent and verifiable legal identity for all.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

1. Indicator for Target 1.3: Proportion of the population covered by social protection floors/systems.
   • Implication: The workers’ fear of losing access to “welfare schemes” implies that their current coverage is fragile and can be used as a metric. Measuring the number of migrant workers who maintain access to these schemes despite administrative hurdles would indicate progress.
2. Indicator for Target 8.8: Frequency rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries, by sex and migrant status. While not about injuries, the core of this target is security. A proxy indicator implied is the proportion of the migrant workforce in informal or precarious employment.
   • Implication: The article explicitly states the workers are in the “unorganised sector” and “lack job security.” The number of migrant workers in such insecure jobs, as cited from the 2011 census (“139 million migrant workers”), serves as a baseline indicator of precarious employment.
3. Indicator for Target 11.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing.
   • Implication: The article’s setting in the “Rangpuri Pahari slum” directly points to this indicator. The existence and population of such slums are a direct measure of the challenge.
4. Indicator for Target 16.7: Proportions of positions in public institutions (national and local) held by women, young persons, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities. A more direct implied indicator is the voter turnout and registration rate among specific population groups.
   • Implication: The entire article is about the potential for migrant workers to be removed from electoral rolls. Therefore, the “proportion of the eligible migrant worker population registered to vote” is a critical implied indicator for measuring their inclusion in representative decision-making.
5. Indicator for Target 16.9: Proportion of population with a national identity card.
   • Implication: The issues faced by Kusum Devi with her Aadhaar card (a national unique identification number) and the requirement for various identity documents (birth certificates, passports) directly relate to this indicator. The consistency and universal acceptance of these legal identity documents for civic processes like voting are measures of progress.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: bbc.com