Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam convened a meeting with District Magistrates of Delhi regarding all the grievances related to issuing caste certificates to beneficiaries.
The Social Welfare Minister asked the officers to streamline the process like doorstep delivery to make issuing caste certificates hassle-free.
Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “It has come to my notice that despite the doorstep delivery of government services, applicants of caste certificates have to still report to the District Magistrate offices for submission of papers. This defeats the purpose of doorstep delivery of services. The magistrates should prepare guidelines regarding this so that the applicants do not have to visit the DM office to submit documents. If the documentation is complete, then the applicant should not be called to the District Office. The application process should be hassle-free just like all the services under 1076.”
Another issue that was raised by the minister was regarding records of the applicant being untraceable, which becomes a ground for rejecting the application for the issuance of caste certificates. “If the record of the applicant is untraceable, then it is a shortcoming of the department and not the applicant. We should not reject these applications. In such cases, a proper guideline needs to be in place. We can physically verify such cases through witnesses like their neighbours. Their application should not be rejected in such circumstances,” he added.
The minister also raised the issue of children whose mothers are separated and are unable to apply for a caste certificate as it demands the documents of the father. “Many women are separated or even abandoned by their husbands. In such cases, the child is unable to apply for a caste certificate as it needs the documents of the father. This needs to be amended immediately. The documents of the separated mother should suffice while applying for the caste certificate of the child,” said Rajendra Pal Gautam
The minister also raised the issues faced while applying for OBC certificates in Delhi and of those whose parents who have caste certificates of other states. The matter is under consideration by the department.