Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Monday, clarified that the financial assistance sanctions letters under different Central and state housing finance schemes of the West Bengal government will not be deemed as valid identity documents in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted in the state.
The ECI’s headquarters in New Delhi had also sent a communication to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)’s Office in the matter.
The schemes whose financial assistance sanction letters would not be deemed as valid identity documents include Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), and the West Bengal government’s own housing financial assistance scheme of Banglar Bari.
The decision of ECI in the matter had led to some confusion since of the 13 identity documents specified by the Commission, which would be deemed as an authentic identity document, one is “any land/house allotment certificate by the Government”.
However, insiders from the CEO’s office had clarified the doubts and explained the difference between “any land/house allotment certificate by the Government” and the “financial assistance sanction letters under any state or Central housing finance scheme”.
According to the CEO office’s insiders, while “any land/house allotment certificate by the Government” identifies a specific plot of land or a particular house as being allotted to the voter concerned, the “financial assistance sanction letters under any state or central housing finance scheme” do not specify that.
“The second one is just a housing finance assistance scheme where the voter concerned receives the money for purchasing a house and bears the expenditure for constructing that house from the money received. The financial assistance sanction letters under PMAY/IAY/Banglar Bari do not identify the specific plot of land or any specific house being owned by the voters concerned. So, financial assistance sanction letters cannot be treated at par with any land or house allotment certificate,” a CEO’s office insider said.
He also added that the ECI had clarified the difference in statutes between “any land/house allotment certificate by Government” and the “financial assistance sanction letters under any state or central housing finance scheme” at the very beginning of the phase of the hearing session over claims and objections regarding the draft voters list.
“Still, a section of the electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) have accepted these financial assistance sanctions letters as valid identity documents during the SIR hearing sessions. If the Commission desires, it can seek explanations from the EROs and AEROs concerned in the matter,” the CEO’s office insider said.
(IANS)
