It is an intensive, house-to-house re-verification of voters conducted by the Election Commission to rebuild the electoral roll, as opposed to a summary revision that only updates the existing list. Booth Level Officers distribute and collect enumeration forms to confirm each elector’s existence and residence.

The Bihar SIR led to the deletion of roughly 65-69 lakh names from the draft roll. The Commission attributed these to deceased, shifted, duplicate or untraceable electors, but critics argued that tight timelines and documentation requirements risked dropping genuine voters, especially the poor and migrants.

The Election Commission acts under Article 324, which vests in it the superintendence, direction and control of elections and electoral rolls. The detailed process is governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

As of late December 2025 the matter was still being heard by the Supreme Court in petitions led by the Association for Democratic Reforms. No final verdict had been delivered, and the challenge remained pending.

Field verification is carried out by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under the Electoral Registration Officer for each constituency. They collect enumeration forms, check residence, and feed corrections into the draft roll, which is then opened to claims and objections.

The roll decides who can vote. Bogus or duplicate entries enable fraud, while wrongful deletions silently strip eligible citizens of the franchise. A roll that is both clean and inclusive is essential to free and fair elections.

Launched in January 2023 by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore, it is India’s flagship programme to make the country a global hub for green-hydrogen production, use and export, with a target of 5 million tonnes of annual production by 2030.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen made by splitting water through electrolysis using renewable electricity, so its production releases little or no carbon dioxide. It differs from grey hydrogen, which is made from natural gas, and blue hydrogen, which adds carbon capture.

SIGHT stands for Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition. It is the Mission’s main financial instrument, offering incentives along two tracks: one for manufacturing electrolysers and one for producing green hydrogen, with capacity allocated through competitive bidding.

It can decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, fertiliser, refining and shipping that are difficult to electrify, while cutting India’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels. It is central to the net-zero-by-2070 pathway and energy security.

The biggest hurdle is cost — green hydrogen remains more expensive than grey hydrogen. Other challenges include the need for abundant round-the-clock renewable power and water, the difficulty of storing and transporting hydrogen, and building reliable domestic demand.

MNRE has notified a standard under which hydrogen qualifies as ‘green’ only if its production emits no more than 2 kg of carbon-dioxide-equivalent per kilogram of hydrogen, measured on an averaged basis. A certification scheme verifies compliance.