Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Electors served notices under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are turning up at verification camps with bank passbooks and PAN cards, but many are carrying recently updated passbooks that do not meet the specific documentary requirement for establishing proof of being born in India before July 1, 1987.
At least half a dozen women electors at the SIR camp at Brahmin High School near Sahitya Samaj Chowk on Monday were seen carrying their latest bank passbooks and PAN cards. They said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had asked them to bring their bank passbooks and PAN cards.
However, officials clarified that a bank or post office passbook is acceptable for the purpose only if it was issued before July 1, 1987. The Election Commission of India has also listed LIC policy documents issued before the cut-off date among the accepted documents.
Additional Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Rashmi Ranjan said BLOs were correct in asking electors to produce old passbooks where available. Bishrampur Electoral Registration Officer Kundan Kumar said documents issued by government undertakings before July 1, 1987, can also serve as valid proof.
The requirement has created difficulties as many families no longer preserve four-decade-old manually written passbooks. SBI officials said the date of passbook issuance is distinct from the date of account opening.
India Post officials said old records may have to be traced through manual ledgers. LIC policy documents are also expected to be scarce, as many old policies had already matured and their documents were discarded.
