Editorial Snapshot: 08-July-2025

 

Keep it simple: On Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls The ECI’s conflicting signals endanger Bihar’s voter registration process 

The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral  Rolls in Bihar, while touted as a smooth process with significant form submissions, is  riddled (1) with contradictions and poses a serious threat to voter enfranchisement (2).  Despite claims of progress, with over 11% of the estimated electorate submitting forms,  conflicting statements from the ECI highlight deep-seated (3) issues. Initially, the CEO,  Bihar, through advertisements, suggested a lenient (4) approach towards electors who  did not have the stipulated (5) 11 documents. They were told that they could submit  enumeration forms to booth-level officers and provide documents later, or even get  verified without mandatory documents, with verification through local investigations by  Electoral Registration Officers. However, the CEC clarified that earlier orders mandating  document submission by July 25, 2025, stand, with a claims and objections period from  August 1 to September 1 for those who fail to comply. This shift in stance and reliance  on local-level investigations for verification present inherent (6) problems. Leaving  verification to the discretion of local electoral officers increases the possibility of  misuse and bias. Such an ad hoc (7) approach risks wrongful inclusions or exclusions,  undermining the integrity (8) of the electoral roll. Instead, the ECI should adopt a more pragmatic (9) and robust approach by accepting  more universally available identity documents such as Aadhaar, ration cards, and  MGNREGA job cards. The ubiquity (10) of Aadhaar, and its mandatory requirement for  numerous government services, makes it an ideal proof of identity. Similarly, ration  cards and MGNREGA job cards are widely held, particularly among agrarian  populations, as they are central to India’s welfare initiatives. Bihar’s historical  challenges in birth registration, school enrolment, and broader documentation mean  that a significant number of genuine electors may lack any of the 11 indicative  documents. The onus is on the state and its institutions, including the ECI, to facilitate  their participation. The current rigid documentary requirements place an undue burden  on voters, especially the marginalised and underprivileged, who already face significant  hurdles in engaging with bureaucracy, and risks widespread disenfranchisement. The  current Bihar exercise seems to be treating every voter as a potential non-citizen unless  proven otherwise. To uphold the principle of universal adult franchise and prevent  large-scale exclusion, the ECI must urgently reconsider its SIR even as the Supreme Court is due to hear petitions challenging this exercise. The ECI should immediately  broaden the acceptable forms of identification, ensuring that all eligible citizens have  the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote. 

Batting for prevention: On Nipah cases in Kerala 

A One Health programme is essential to prevent zoonotic spillover With two cases of Nipah virus detected in Kerala — including one fatality owing to the  infection — the attention is rightfully, once again, on a preventable infectious disease  that could leave havoc in its trail. An adolescent girl from Malappuram succumbed (1) to  the virus on July 1, and a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad is battling (2) for life in the  hospital. In the big picture, as many as 425 people who are in the contact lists of the two  Nipah-infected persons in three districts in Kerala have been identified and are under  surveillance (3). Of these, 228 are from Malappuram district, where Patient Zero was  identified this time, 110 in Palakkad and 87 in Kozhikode. In Palakkad, one contact is  being treated in isolation, while 12 people are currently undergoing treatment in  Malappuram — five of them are in the intensive care unit. One of them tested negative  for the infection, and the results for the others are awaited. Over 140 of those on the  contact list are said to be health workers. While the health machinery in Kerala is  engaged in tracing (4) the original source of the infection, it is also tasked, particularly  in the three districts of Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode, to trace contacts, isolate  them to prevent further spread, contain (5) infection and treat all those who show  symptoms. India has recorded several outbreaks of the virus since 2001, a year when 45  of the 66 people infected died in West Bengal. In 2018, it surged (6) in Kerala, with 17 of  the 19 cases with laboratory-confirmed Nipah infection dying without responding to  treatment. Kerala continues to report outbreaks regularly since then. What renders even a single case of significant concern to get the entire health-care  machinery in a tizzy (7) Nipah is a transmissible (8) viral infection with a high mortality  rate, ranging between 40% and 75%, which implies that if the infection spreads, then, a  number of people are likely to die. Future research might add an effective tool to the  armamentarium (9) to effectively treat Nipah infections without mortality, but as of now,  the course of action is vested (10) only in prevention and awareness generation. Nipah  is transmitted by fruit bats which are the natural reservoirs of the virus. It is suspected  that consuming contaminated fruits, bitten or licked by bats, may play a role in  spreading the virus. It is also equally important to cast a watchful eye on climate  change-related factors, particularly anthropogenic activity that is destroying natural  habitats, and initiate a robust One Health programme that will weigh not just Nipah but  also other pathogens that are capable of zoonotic spillover, transitioning from animals  to humans and causing great harm.

Enrol in our free Hindu Vocabulary course and get daily, weekly, and monthly PDFs to boost your language skills! – Click here

Latest Posts:

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *