the goan I network
PANAJI
Caste certificates issued to individuals hailing from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities in Goa will now be permanent and the ‘competent authority’ to issue such certificates will now be the respective taluka deputy collectors.
A notification modifying an August 2013 ‘memorandum’ was issued by the Social Welfare Department on Wednesday which said the term ‘provisional’ appearing ahead of the caste certificate in the old memorandum stands deleted with immediate effect.
Until now, caste certificates were provisional and issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrates (Deputy Collectors). It involved a cumbersome process by which certain apex associations of the respective caste first certified that the applicant belonged to their community on the basis of which the Executive Magistrates issued the ‘povisional’ caste certificate.
As the certificate was provisional and valid for a specific period individuals from these communities which enjoy reservations for education as well as jobs, had to follow the process all over again and get a fresh certificate issued each time they needed one.Several cases of frauds resorted to in the processes had also come to light particularly among representatives elected to panchayats, zilla panchayats and civic bodies from reserved wards and constituencies,
With the new modification of the rule governing issue of the caste certificate, the State government hopes to rid the process of frauds and also reduce the difficulty levels for obtaining one for genuine members of the reserved category communities.
