EC increases annual remuneration of booth-level officers to ₹12,000

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a significant increase in the remuneration for its grassroots-level functionaries, the Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and their supervisors. This decision, the first such revision since 2015, is aimed at recognizing the vital role these individuals play in maintaining accurate electoral rolls.

Key Changes to Remuneration:

• Booth-Level Officers (BLOs): The annual remuneration for BLOs has been doubled from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000.
• BLO Supervisors: The annual remuneration for BLO supervisors has been increased from ₹12,000 to ₹18,000.
• New Honorarium for Other Officers: For the first time, the ECI will also provide an annual honorarium to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs (AEROs) of ₹30,000 and ₹25,000, respectively.
• Special Incentive: In addition to the annual remuneration, the Commission has approved a special incentive of ₹6,000 for BLOs for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list, which is currently ongoing in Bihar.

Role of BLOs and New Norms:

• BLOs are typically state government employees, such as teachers, who are responsible for preparing and updating the voters’ list at the booth level.
• To improve efficiency and accuracy, the ECI has also set a new norm that a single booth will not have more than 1,200 voters.

Source: BL