The Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal has decided to re-verify all caste certificates, including those distributed through Duare Sarkar outing camps, issued in the state since 2011, news agency PTI reported, citing a senior bureaucrat.
This comes amid allegations of widespread irregularities during the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress regime.
On Friday, the Bengal Backward Classes Welfare Board issued letters to all district magistrates directing them to start the re-verification process, a senior bureaucrat said.
A new order by the Bengal government has marked the “authenticity and genuineness” of several caste certificates, a TOI report said. It also raised concerns that some second-generation caste certificates may have been issued on the basis of questionable documents.
According to a Times of India (TOI) report, the directive covers nearly 1.69 million caste certificates issued in the last 15 years, including about 1 billion Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates, 21 million Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates and 48 million Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates.
Of these, as many as 47.8 lakh certificates were issued through 10 phases of the state government’s Duare Sarkar camps, TOI reported.
Issuing authorities have been asked to carry out re-verification in accordance with applicable norms considering the “importance and sensitivity” of the matter.
“Fake caste certificates issued…”
Allegations of corruption and irregularities in the issuance of caste certificates surfaced repeatedly during the previous tenure of the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
Kshudiram Tudu, Bengal’s Minister for Tribal Development and Backward Classes, said that many fake and irregular SC, ST and OBC certificates were issued during this period.
“During the Trinamool Congress regime, a large number of fake and irregular SC, ST and OBC certificates were issued. Many people took benefits using these certificates,” Tudu said.
The minister had earlier said that strict action would be taken against the officials under whose supervision such certificates were issued.
According to a TOI report, the Bengal government has also ordered a fresh check of caste certificates issued to individuals whose names were removed from electoral rolls during the recent Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise.
