FLASH NEWS:

NEWS

Hyderabad

Salesian Hyderabad Trains Collaborators to Support Electoral Roll Revision Drive

16 June 2026

News reported by: Muthyala Sudhakar [INH]

The Salesian Province of Hyderabad (INH) held an online training workshop on Monday, July 15, to teach Salesians and lay collaborators about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a process for updating and verifying electoral roll entries. This workshop was held as the SIR process continues in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with civil society groups focused on ensuring electoral accuracy.

The virtual assembly aimed to raise awareness among NGO representatives and give them a clear understanding of the SIR process and voter ID mapping. Organisers said trained collaborators will be on the ground, helping Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and local citizens in Salesian institution areas.

The program featured civil society leaders and technical experts. They explained the steps needed to navigate the voter revision drive. Fr. Santiguo Thomas SDB, the Provincial, opened the session and emphasised the civic responsibility of institutional networks during revision cycles.

Fr Thomas Pallithanam SDB, province delegate for Justice & Peace Commission, introduced the panel and thanked them. Mr Ramesh Patnaik from Meluko AP explained the current electoral roll updates in the Telugu states. Mr Khalid Naveed of the Movement for Peace and Justice led the main presentation. He explained the technical aspects of the SIR process. He showed how NGOs can map voter IDs, verify registrations, and fix discrepancies.

The meeting ended with a question-and-answer session led by Mr Khalid Naveed and Mr Koutharapu Prasad of the Prajaswamya Parirakshana Aikya Vedika. Salesians and lay collaborators raised specific local logistical challenges. The panel explained how to work with government-appointed BLOs to streamline voter registration and verification for citizens in marginalised or complex institutional areas.