The Times of India News Service

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has given fresh directives to issue proper caste certificates to persons belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

State government sources said that though the government had stopped issuing temporary caste certificates, a provisional certificate could be issued under special circumstances at the request of the applicant.

Applications for issuing such a caste certificate could be made in educational institutions. Provisional caste certificates could be issued in cases involving admission to educational institutions, applying for government jobs, appearing in interviews, or applying to benefit from a government scheme. In such cases the applicant or his/her guardian would have to produce an affidavit clearly mentioning the urgency behind the demand for such a provisional caste certificate. Provisional caste certificate would be valid for a maximum of six months.

In a circular sent to the divisional commissioners, district collectors and chief executive officers of zila panchayats, the state government has ordered the scrutiny of all those cases where provisional caste certificates had been issued, and issue in their place permanent caste certificates to all eligible persons. Provisional caste certificates of those ineligible would be cancelled, and further action will be initiated. All district collectors, tehsildars and departmental officers have been directed to dispose off the pending applications for caste certificates on merit by July 15. Appropriate action should be taken as per the direction of the state government in all those cases where applicants were not eligible to get caste certificates.

Printed application forms for caste certificates would be made available in all educational institutions. The principals and headmasters would distribute the forms to students belonging to SC, ST and OBC categories by July 10. The filled up forms would be returned by July 22 and the same would be forwarded to the block educational officer from where these would be sent to the tehsildar by August 2. The tehsildar or naib tehsildar concerned would obtain reports on the applications within 10 days, and the tehsildar would submit their reports to the sub-divisional officer by August 20. The SDO would issue permanent caste certificates and the same would be distributed in schools by holding camps by September 25.