Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The Jharkhand government has provided major relief to people waiting for caste, income, residence and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates by allowing the documents to be issued through both online and offline modes.
The new arrangement came into effect on Thursday and will remain in force for three months, the government said. The decision was taken in view of difficulties being faced by applicants due to technical problems in the online system.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren had directed the authorities to provide relief to applicants facing difficulties in obtaining the certificates. Following the directive, Amar Kumar, Joint Secretary in the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Rajbhasha, issued necessary instructions to all deputy commissioners in the state.
According to the government directive, pending applications for various certificates must be examined on a mission-mode basis and certificates issued in accordance with the applicable rules. The move is expected to provide relief to applicants who have been waiting for their certificates for a long time.
The government has also clarified that applications processed offline will subsequently be completed through the online system as well. Once an offline certificate is issued, the relevant records will be updated in the online system to ensure that the process remains properly documented.
District administrations have been entrusted with monitoring the entire certificate-issuance process. All deputy commissioners have been directed to review and monitor the process on a daily basis at the district level.
The districts have also been asked to provide the Personnel Department with complete details of pending applications, cases disposed of and certificates issued.
The government expects that allowing an offline option alongside the online system will help clear applications that have been held up because of technical problems and ensure that people receive essential certificates in time. Such certificates are often required for government schemes, employment, educational admissions and other official purposes.
According to the department, provisions for issuing caste certificates offline in addition to the online mode were already included in a circular issued on February 22, 2022. The provision allowed offline issuance in situations involving power outages, link failures and other technical difficulties affecting the online system.
However, increased dependence on the online process had continued to cause difficulties for many applicants, resulting in delays in the issuance of certificates.
Under the latest arrangement, caste, income, residence and EWS certificates can now be issued through both online and offline modes. The provision will initially remain in effect for three months.
The district administrations have been instructed to prioritise pending applications and ensure regular monitoring of the entire process. The effectiveness of the new arrangement will largely depend on how quickly the backlog of pending applications is cleared in the coming weeks.
