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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
In public hearing, many allege discrepancies in SIR process
Patna: More than 250 people from 14 districts took part in a public hearing organised on the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. A panel of six eminent citizens, including former Patna high court judge Anjana Prakash; economist Jean Dreze; former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah; former director of A N Sinha Institute D M Diwakar; social worker Bhanwar Meghvanshi and sociologist Nandini Sundar heard the people's views on the SIR. The public hearing was jointly organised by Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, NAPM, Samar Charitable Trust, Swaraj Abhiyan and Kosi Navnirman Manch. Many of the participants, including one Phool Kumari Devi from Katihar, alleged discrepancies and listed the problems they faced in submitting the enumeration forms for the purpose. Some said Aadhaar card and EPIC were demanded by the BLOs, though the Election Commission (EC) has excluded these documents for the voter verification purpose. Many married women complained that they had difficulty in obtaining documents of their parents and discrepancies in demanding documents to prove their eligibility. In many families, they complained that some members got the forms while some did not. Some of them said BLOs also took a copy of the bank passbook, though it was not required. Some said the BLOs were under tremendous pressure. Justice (retd) Anjana Prakash said it is impossible for the people of rural Bihar to submit the documents being sought by the EC. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo Habibullah said the SIR process is neither according to the Constitution nor in accordance with the RTI Act. Dreze said the SIR should not be amended but repealed. "The ECI's own procedures have been violated many times. This will reduce the quality of the voter list and defeat the purpose," he said.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NEP anti-poor, says Buxar MP
Buxar: Buxar RJD MP Sudhakar Singh on Sunday said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was "anti-poor" and "anti-Constitution", warning that it promotes a commercialised model of education that risks excluding vulnerable communities in states like Bihar. "The NEP pushes a commercialised model of education. In a state like Bihar, where over a third of households earn less than Rs 6,000 per month, it risks excluding the most vulnerable," said Singh, who chaired the 'Bihar Niti Vimarsh Samvaad' at the AN Sinha Institute. Singh said despite Bihar allocating over Rs 60,000 crore – 21.7% of its total budget – to education, learning outcomes remain poor. He criticised central funding mechanisms such as the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) and PM-USHA, which require institutions to repay loans from their own internal revenue. "Such models will force fee hikes and deepen inequality," Singh said. Karnataka's higher education minister, M C Sudhakar, shared how his state has adapted elements of the NEP to suit local needs and encouraged Bihar to take a similar approach. Political leaders including CPI-ML's Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan and RJD's Subodh Mehta called for broad-based consultation before implementing the NEP in Bihar. The conference resolved to hold further deliberations on key issues such as vocational education, the digital divide and institutional autonomy in higher education.
