Spotlight

Pradeep Ramteke

     Editor-in-Chief

        For the past seven days, the link for obtaining Domicile Certificates on the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal has remained disabled across the state of Maharashtra. Consequently, citizens of the state are being deprived of the opportunity to avail themselves of various government welfare schemes.

        Furthermore, the closure of the Domicile Certificate link has thrown students into a state of chaos and distress. This raises a critical question: What exactly are the Maharashtra Government and the officials at the MahaIT headquarters doing to fulfill their responsibilities? And why, precisely, is this link being kept disabled?

        Concurrently, records pertaining to births and deaths have gone missing from the archives of Gram Panchayats, Tehsil offices, and Panchayat Samiti offices across the state. Moreover, due to the sheer neglect shown by government and administrative machinery toward the dilapidated state of existing birth and death registers, obtaining official records of births and deaths has become an almost impossible task.

         Additionally, even when citizens submit applications regarding birth and death registrations at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) offices, they face significant hurdles in obtaining the necessary orders for registration from those offices as well. Consequently, the citizens of Maharashtra are utterly exasperated and weary from the endless, futile rounds of climbing the steps of the SDM offices.

         In light of this crisis, the citizens of Maharashtra are demanding that the State Government issue specific directives authorizing hearings and the subsequent registration of births and deaths to be conducted at the Gram Panchayat level. Therefore, there is an open demand from the citizens of Maharashtra that instructions be issued to the Tehsildar to treat the School Leaving Certificate (Transfer Certificate) as the primary and most crucial piece of evidence when determining eligibility for a Domicile Certificate.

         Given that birth and death records have gone missing from the relevant administrative offices, the citizens of the state collectively feel that the Government of Maharashtra should not impose the mandatory requirement of a Domicile Certificate as a prerequisite for availing the benefits of various government schemes. Consequently, the citizens of Maharashtra put forth a reasonable demand that the State Government should respect and give due consideration to these sentiments.

Information regarding the Domicile Certificate…

          In Maharashtra, a Domicile Certificate (Adhivas Pramanpatra) is generally issued within 7 to 15 working days after the application has been submitted.

        This certificate can be obtained either by applying online through the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal or by applying offline at the Tehsildar’s office or a ‘Setu’ center.

Required Documents…

        1) Aadhaar Card, 2) School Leaving Certificate, 3) Ration Card, 4) Residence Certificate issued by the Talathi, and 5) A Self-Declaration Affidavit.

Where to Apply…

        Applications can be submitted via the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ website, or at a ‘Setu’ center/Tehsildar’s office. Fee: Approximately ₹50 (nominal).

What is a Domicile Certificate?

         A Domicile Certificate is an official government document that serves as proof that you are a permanent resident of a specific state or Union Territory. This certificate is utilized as proof of residence to avail benefits related to education, government employment, reserved quotas, and various government welfare schemes.

Key Features of the Domicile Certificate…

        Purpose : To establish that an individual is a permanent resident of a particular state. In Maharashtra, this certificate can be obtained through the Tehsildar, the Naib Tehsildar, or a ‘Maha E-Seva Kendra’ (Citizen Service Center).