BLO Honorarium Hike: Great News for BLO Workers Across the State! Honorarium Hiked to 18,000 Rupees with Extra Benefits

BLO Honorarium Hike: Finally, a wave of relief has arrived for the countless Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state. Ending a long wait and addressing the persistent demands of the workforce, the Election Commission has decided to significantly hike the honorarium for BLOs. Moreover, to accelerate the pace of work and assist employees in the digital age, proposals for additional allowances have also been tabled. Based on information from the State Chief Electoral Officer and Manoj Kumar Agarwal, this new directive has instilled hope among the workers.

Revised Honorarium Structure at a Glance

For a long time, BLOs have been voicing concerns about their meager honorarium compared to the heavy workload and responsibilities. Acknowledging these grievances, the Commission has taken a positive step forward. Previously, the honorarium for BLOs stood at merely ₹6,000, which was later increased to ₹12,000. However, now an additional ₹6,000 has been added specifically for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) or door-to-door survey work. Consequently, BLOs will now be eligible to receive a total honorarium of ₹18,000.

Payment Rules and Timeline

Naturally, the question arises: when will the workers receive this enhanced amount of ₹18,000? According to the Commission’s current norms, this money is not disbursed as a monthly salary. The amount is likely to be credited to the workers’ bank accounts as a lump sum at the end of the financial year, i.e., around March of next year. However, there is a mandatory condition attached: to receive the full ₹18,000, the concerned BLO must successfully complete the SIR process or the special revision of the electoral roll.

Additional Benefits for Internet Expenses

Currently, most electoral roll tasks are conducted digitally or via mobile apps. This leads to significant personal mobile data consumption for the workers, which had been a point of contention. Addressing this issue, the State CEO’s office has sent a special proposal to the Election Commission. The proposal suggests providing an additional internet allowance ranging from ₹500 to ₹1,000 to BLOs for digitization and data uploading tasks. If implemented, this will provide some financial relief to the workers.

Union Reaction and Ground Reality

Following this announcement, the BLO Aikyamancha (BLO Unity Forum) has expressed satisfaction. Swapan Mondal, the General Secretary of the organization, stated that this decision to increase remuneration would boost the workers’ interest in their duties and ensure their social dignity. In the past, many workers suffered from mental stress due to work pressure and low pay, which is now expected to alleviate to some extent.

However, considering inflation and the current workload, many feel that an honorarium between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 would have been more justified. The dedication with which BLOs are working day and night to complete enumeration and digitization tasks ahead of schedule is truly commendable. The Election Commission hopes that this increased remuneration will bring greater transparency and speed to the electoral roll revision process.