Latest news with #SWAN
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Geese lose limbs due to discarded lines at fishing hotspots
Geese are being severely injured due to discarded fishing lines being left at angling hotspots. Social, Water Access, Network (SWAN) has issued a warning following repeated incidents where geese are getting caught on the scrap line. In severe cases, this has resulted in limb loss which happened to an Egyptian Goose at Thetford Sluice. An Egyptian Goose lost its foot due to a discarded fishing line (Image: SWAN) Chairman of SWAN, David Smith, said: "The line gets wrapped around their limbs, often held in place by a hook. "If it isn't removed, it cuts off the circulation, causing the limb to die and drop off." READ MORE: Richardson's Boating Holidays wins Tripadvisor award The non-profit organisation strives to protect Norfolk and Suffolk waters and its wildlife. However, catching wild birds in distress can "create risk for both the bird and the person handling". Fishing line caught on the foot of a goose (Image: SWAN) According to SWAN, other Thetford hotspots include the Mill Pond and behind Butten Island. "These locations are both surrounded by trees and anglers - usually teenage boys - often get their lines snagged in the trees," Mr Smith added. "I have personally removed dozens of fishing lures from trees over the years."


The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bihar's migrants lack SIR documents : Data
On June 24, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced a month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. The stated purpose of the exercise, according to the Chief Election Commissioner, was to 'ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll'. Further, anyone whose name was not in the 2003 electoral roll was required to submit at least one of 11 specified documents 'as probative evidence of eligibility, including presumption of citizenship'. This implied that Biharis below the age of 40 years would have to fill forms and produce documents to 'prove' their citizenship to be eligible to vote. Aadhaar, ration cards, voter identity cards (issued by the ECI) — which are most commonly available — are not among the 11 documents. Ten petitions are challenging the SIR order in the Supreme Court on grounds that the SIR order will disenfranchise lakhs of people. A key constituent that is at risk of such disenfranchisement are migrants. Estimates suggest that there are more than 74 lakh out-of-State migrants from Bihar. The study To assess awareness of the SIR process, availability of the 11 specified documents, and other challenges that migrants from Bihar are confronting in proving their eligibility to vote, the Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) conducted a rapid phone survey. A report titled 'For a few documents more' based on the survey was released recently. SWAN is a volunteer-driven platform that provided relief to over 36,000 migrants during the COVID-19 lockdown and released three reports documenting the multi-dimensional distress that they had been put through. The recent survey was conducted a week ago by 29 student volunteers. Calls were attempted to 1,411 workers of which the survey was completed for 338 workers. This is not a statistically representative survey but it sheds strong light on the documentation deficits faced by migrants and their risks of being disenfranchised. About 95% of the surveyed workers were males who average age was 34 years. The majority were employed as factory or construction workers, and the median earnings were ₹14,500 per month. There was a near-perfect match between the share of Other Backward Classes in our sample (28.4%) and the share in the 2022 Bihar caste census. Scheduled Caste workers are 3% points under-represented in our sample, and those in the 'general' category are over-represented in our sample by 8% points. There is near-perfect parity in religious distribution in our sample and the 2011 Census. Lack of awareness Out of 219 respondents to the question on what documents were needed under SIR, 68% did not have accurate information. The affidavit filed by the ECI on July 21 mentions that the body has taken adequate steps in making online options available for migrants to submit enumeration forms. However, as the chart below shows, 75% of migrants had never heard of the portal, and only two out of 248 had submitted the form online. As per the SIR order, each booth-level officer must go door to door and visit at least three times in case the house was found to be locked. In our survey, only 53% said that some official had visited their house, while 23% said that no official had visited, and 24% did not know. Among those who said some official had visited their house, in 45% of the cases, the enumeration form along with either Aadhaar or voter ID was taken. On the 'eligible' documents, our survey provides a drastically different picture compared to the ECI's claims in its affidavit. Page 39 of the ECI affidavit says that '13.89 crore residence certificates have been issued from 2011 to 2025.' This is more than Bihar's estimated population of 13.7 crore. In our sample, just 32 out of 338 respondents have a residence certificate. The affidavit further states that more than 8.72 crore caste certificates have been issued in Bihar. The charts from our survey, disaggregated for those who are in Bihar right now and those away from Bihar, show that about 35% in our sample do not have any of the 11 SIR documents, while more than 8 out of 10 have voter ID and more than 96% have Aadhaar. The chart below shows the prevalence of Aadhar versus the lack of prevalence in SIR documents. To reiterate, the ECI makes the case against using Aadhaar and voter ID, even though these are most widely available. The chart shows the prevalence of voter IDs versus the lack of prevalence of SIR documents. Questioning the exercise Unsurprisingly, then, a large fraction of the workers we spoke to questioned the necessity of the SIR and expressed a strong preference for the older process of using Aadhaar or existing voter IDs. One angry migrant worker said, 'Agar kisi ke paas document nahin hai, toh kahan jaayega? Gardan kaat ke leke aayen kya (Where will somebody go if they don't have documents? Should they cut their heads and bring it?). Minorities felt increased vulnerability at having to repeatedly prove their citizenship. One such worker compared these eligibility tests to 'refreshing one's phone'. Notwithstanding the impracticality of such a hasty exercise, our interactions with migrant workers leads us to believe that the ongoing SIR exercise will disenfranchise lakhs of people. The survey suggests that the SIR exercise must be immediately revoked. Anindita Adhikari is a Faculty, National Law School University of India, Bangalore. Rajendran Narayanan is a Faculty, Azim Premji University, Bangalore. This work is part of the SWAN. Views are personal Source: Survey conducted by Stranded Workers Action Network

The Wire
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
90% Surveyed Migrants Outside Bihar Didn't Know of SIR: New Report Challenges EC's Official Line
New Delhi: A new report from the Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) details how Bihar's migrant workers experienced the state's recent voter roll revision, offering a perspective that differs from the Election Commission's official statements. The report follows the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a process that flagged 64 lakh electors for potential deletion from the rolls. EC data also categorised 35 lakh voters as "migrated or untraceable." The SWAN report, ' For a Few Documents More,' surveyed 338 migrant workers between July 19 and 21, the group most likely to be affected by these classifications, to detail their awareness of and preparation for the drive. Information and awareness The survey found that little information reached Bihar's migrant workforce. According to SWAN, 90% of migrant workers currently outside Bihar had not heard of the revision. Of these workers, 75% were unaware of the EC's online portal for submitting forms, and less than 1% had used it. This left some workers uncertain. ' Aise kaise ho sakta hai ki ek form nahi bharne se vote nahi de payenge (How can it be that just by not filling one form, we won't be allowed to vote)? ' one worker asked. Another worker, Sujeet Ram, a 40-year-old from Vaishali now in Tamil Nadu, said, 'There are no jobs in Bihar, so we come here out of government should think about this. How will this work if they demand everything in such a hurry?' Documentation and process The report also examines the revision's document requirements. The survey found that 35% of all workers surveyed had none of the 11 specific documents the EC initially listed as proof of eligibility. It notes, however, that 96% of surveyed workers have an Aadhaar card and 83% have a Voter ID card, documents later ' suggested ' to be considered by the Supreme Court. The survey also shows the drive was conducted inconsistently. Among households an official visited, 29% said the official collected a form with one of the 11 required documents. Another 45% said the official collected the form with just a copy of an Aadhaar or Voter ID. The situation prompted some workers to return home. Saleem, a migrant worker in Mumbai, said he traveled back to Bihar because of the drive. "I heard in the news that people's forms were getting thrown away," he told surveyors. "My family and I cannot afford to have our names deleted from the list. That is why I came home to Bihar from Mumbai.' Report's conclusions The SWAN report states that these workers' experiences provide context for the EC's data, suggesting many of the "untraceable" voters are simply citizens working in other states. The report also includes testimonies from workers concerned about the process. One Muslim worker said, "We have to keep proving our identity. It's like refreshing a phone... Our rights should not be snatched from us." As Bihar begins a 30-day period for claims and objections over the 64 lakh flagged voters, the SWAN report concludes that the revision drive inverts the presumption of citizenship. It calls the findings a "signal of the potential threat of disenfranchising millions of people."

Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘90% of the migrant workforce from Bihar are unaware of ECI's SIR'
New Delhi: The vast majority of migrant workers from Bihar living outside the state are unaware of the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, according to a survey by the volunteer group Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN). A survey of 338 migrant workers found that only 29% submitted documents from the EC's list, while 45% gave Aadhaar or voter ID, which weren't required. (File)(Bachchan Kumar/HT Photo) 'Despite the procedures in place and clarifications and safeguards from exclusions being hastily announced, the testimonies of migrant workers illustrate low levels of confidence in the process… A large fraction of workers questioned the necessity of the SIR and expressed a strong preference for the older process of using Aadhaar or existing voter IDs,' the group observed in its report. The survey found that 90% of migrant workers from Bihar living outside the state are unaware of the SIR. It also said that 68% of workers – both within Bihar and outside – lacked accurate information about the documents needed for SIR verification. The survey covered 338 migrant workers in and outside Bihar. Of those who reported visits, 29% said officials collected one of the documents from the EC's prescribed list. Another 45% said Aadhaar or voter ID cards were taken along with the enumeration form (EF), even though neither was part of the EC's 11 indicative documents for the exercise. Launched on June 24, the ECI described the SIR as long overdue, since the last revision in Bihar was conducted in 2003. The poll body said the drive aimed to remove bogus entries and update the rolls. Opposition parties, however, questioned its timing ahead of the state assembly polls and claimed it could 'disenfranchise lakhs of poor voters who cannot produce the requisite documents required to be submitted along with the enumeration forms.' The draft roll will be published on August 1, with the final list expected on September 30 after corrections. The SWAN survey noted that 35% of respondents lacked any of the SIR's 11 prescribed documents. Although an online EF submission portal was made available for migrants outside Bihar, the report found that 75% had never heard of it and fewer than 1% had submitted forms online.


Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Many migrant workers from Bihar unaware of voter list revision: Survey
Many migrant workers from Bihar living outside the state are unaware of the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, according to a survey conducted by a volunteer group, Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN), that interviewed 338 migrant workers in and outside the state. The survey found that 68% of migrant workers from Bihar whom the group interviewed– both within Bihar and outside – lacked accurate information about the documents needed for SIR verification. (Representational image) The survey found that around 90% of migrant workers whom the group interviewed were unaware of SIR. 'Despite the procedures in place and clarifications and safeguards from exclusions being hastily announced, the testimonies of migrant workers illustrate low levels of confidence in the process… A large fraction of workers questioned the necessity of the SIR and expressed a strong preference for the older process of using Aadhaar or existing voter IDs,' the group observed in its report. The survey found that 68% of workers whom the group interviewed– both within Bihar and outside – lacked accurate information about the documents needed for SIR verification. Regarding official house visits, 53% said someone had visited, 23% said no official had come, while 24% were unsure. Of those who reported visits, 29% said officials collected one of the documents from the EC's prescribed list. Another 45% said Aadhaar or voter ID cards were taken along with the enumeration form (EF), even though neither was part of the EC's 11 indicative documents for the exercise. Launched on June 24, the ECI described the SIR as long overdue, since the last revision in Bihar was conducted in 2003. The poll body said the drive aimed to remove bogus entries and update the rolls. Opposition parties, however, questioned its timing ahead of the state assembly polls and claimed it could 'disenfranchise lakhs of poor voters who cannot produce the requisite documents required to be submitted along with the enumeration forms.' A key point of contention was the EC directive invalidating Aadhaar, ration cards and voter IDs as supporting documents. On July 10, the Supreme Court asked the EC to consider them for the process. But in its July 21 affidavit, the EC argued it could not accept them because Aadhaar is 'merely a proof of identity; there are a large number of fake ration cards in circulation; and relying on existing voter identity cards would render the special drive (conducted under Article 326 of the Constitution) futile.' The draft rolls will be published on August 1, with the final list expected on September 30 after corrections. The SWAN survey noted that 35% of respondents lacked any of the SIR's 11 prescribed documents. In contrast, 96% held Aadhaar cards, 84% voter IDs, 69% PAN cards and 64% ration cards. 'Among those who have at least one of the 11 documents mandated in the SIR, 46% have a matriculation or university-approved certificate, half have a caste certificate, 30% have a domicile certificate and about 39% have a birth certificate. One sees that those who have one of these documents tend to have a few other documents too,' the report said. Although an online EF submission portal was made available for migrants outside Bihar, the report found that 75% had never heard of it and fewer than 1% had submitted forms online. As per ECI guidelines, individuals not on the 2003 rolls must prove their eligibility. However, the survey found that 81% of respondents turned 18 after 2003 and already possess voter IDs. Yet, one in three lacked any SIR-listed document. Many expressed concern over losing voting rights due to document gaps and procedural confusion. The report flagged rising apprehensions, misinformation and the absence of sufficient outreach. It also noted a limited representation of women's voices. One respondent shared struggles in meeting shifting documentation demands. 'Notwithstanding the impracticality of such a hasty exercise, the interaction with the migrant workers leads us to believe that the SIR exercise will disenfranchise millions of people in Bihar. This further pushes us to suggest that the SIR exercise must be revoked without further delay,' the group said. 'Once the verified voter lists based on the SIR are published, a systemic public verification must be undertaken with due attention to the inclusion and experience of marginalised groups. Many of these migrant workers are amongst those who are most likely to be excluded and the current safeguards are simply not enough.'