At a time when anxiety is rising over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, the Karnataka government has launched a Permanent Residence Certificate to ratify domicile status. It gives hope to those whose documents could require verification when the Election Commission demands. The government claims it can lawfully issue the certificate in accordance with EC guidelines.
PRCs will be issued by deputy tahsildars in 21 days provided citizens meet any of the eligibility norms—they are born in Karnataka; have lived/studied in the state for at least 10 years; have parents or spouse living in the state; the family legally owns residential or other immovable property in the state; they are registered on the rolls, have Aadhaar, ration card and other government records; have a parent who has served in the government for at least seven years; or has other evidence to establish Karnataka as their primary residence. The government is setting up around 50,000 centres to assist people with applications.
The EC, while admitting that the PRC is an accepted supporting document, has ambiguously stated that it establishes residency, not citizenship. The state is looking at the PRC as a two-pronged instrument—to ensure voters are not dropped from the rolls and to streamline welfare beneficiaries. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claims it is a historic decision to protect the citizens of Karnataka, but the BJP claims it’s an attempt to onboard illegal Bangladeshi immigrants as bona fide voters.
Recent national policy decisions have put citizenship under a dark shadow of doubt. The government’s demand for proof of identity is expanding, and lawful citizens are risking losing both citizenship and welfare benefits. With Aadhaar, passport and PAN no longer considered proof of residence or citizenship, the PRC could be the sole document to certify genuine domiciles in Karnataka. It will prove crucial to those who cannot provide contiguous documents, or fail to map their identity with the 2002 rolls or parents’ election ID cards. Door-to-door SIR enumeration in the state has now been extended to August 8, which will be followed by a period to register claims and objections up to September 16. Given this window of time for citizens to apply for the PRC, the assistance centres need to be set up immediately and run efficiently.