Around 70L SC, ST, OBC certificates issued in 8 yrs

Kolkata: The Backward Classes Welfare department (BCW) has issued around 70 lakh Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC certificates in the past eight years.

The BCW is organising special camps in the city to issue caste certificates following the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

She had directed all the MPs, MLAs and councillors to hold special camps to issue the caste certificates. This is for the first time when special camps are being held in the city to issue such documents. Three camps have already been held so far where Minister of State for Tribal Development Chandrima Bhattacharya, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and state BCW minister Rajib Banerjee were present.

The camps have been held in South Kolkata at Harijan Bustee in Ward 86, in areas

that fall under Rashbehari Assembly constituency and in Dover Lane. S K Thade, Principal Secretary, BCW, said from these camps, around 1,000 certificates have been issued.

People stood in long queues to submit their applications. The BCW will examine the documents and issue the certificates within a week.

The special camps continued till late in the evening. On March 6, a special camp will be held at Muchi bustee at Janbazar in Central Kolkata. Before the camps are held, local councillors inform the residents and urge those who are entitled to the certificates to pay a visit positively.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjee gave special attention to issue certificates to the SC, ST and OBC people. Earlier, the applicants had to wait for three to four years to get the certificates and often had to pay bribes to acquire them.

It was learnt that between 2011 and 2013, around 12 lakh certificates for the SC, ST and OBC people have been given on an average per year. The officials in the districts were instructed to issue the certificates on a war footing after verifying the documents.

Senior officials of the BCW were in constant touch with the district officials and the problems that cropped up had been ironed out.

In all the administrative review meetings presided over by the Chief Minister, she had made it a point to inquire about the issuance of the caste certificates from the district officials including the District Magistrate.

The SC, ST and OBC certificates are required to get admission in schools, colleges and universities and while applying for jobs in the government sector as well.