BENGALURU: After the state government issued orders for the distribution of Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs), Revenue Department officials said the move is aimed at helping citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, besides enabling them to avail themselves of various benefits offered by the state government.
The SIR exercise is being undertaken by the Election Commission of India. It began on June 30, and the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 19, 2026.
A PRC issued by a competent state authority is among the 12 documents that citizens can submit to establish their identity and residence.
“To help citizens avail themselves of various schemes and for the SIR exercise, the state government took the decision to issue PRCs. The Revenue Department currently offers 43 services, and this will be the 44th. The PRC is like any other document that establishes that a person is a resident of Karnataka and helps establish their identity. Anyone who has been residing in the state since 2014 can apply for a PRC,” a senior Revenue Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
Explaining the need to issue PRCs while the SIR is underway, the official said the government took the decision because the certificate is listed as one of the documents that can be submitted with the SIR form. “The same exercise was carried out in West Bengal in 1999 and 2006. Karnataka is following the same path,” the official said.
According to the eligibility criteria laid down by the state government, a citizen must have been residing in Karnataka for the past 10 years or must have been a government or public institution employee for at least seven years to obtain a PRC.
Applicants have to furnish documents such as school or educational certificates, property ownership documents, proof of having resided in Karnataka for at least 10 years, marriage certificates, Aadhaar cards bearing a Karnataka address that is at least 10 years old, ration cards and revenue records.
Interestingly, one of the documents listed for obtaining a PRC is an entry in the 2002 voters’ list in Karnataka belonging to the claimant, spouse or parent. The order also states that electronic or oral evidence establishing Karnataka as the applicant’s principal and permanent place of residence can be considered.
However, Election Commission officials said the PRC is only a document to establish residency and does not establish citizenship. They said it is one of several supporting documents that can be submitted.
The state government has cited its executive powers under Articles 162 and 166 of the Constitution, along with provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964; Karnataka Land Revenue Rules, 1966; Karnataka Land Revenue Grant Rules, 1969; and Karnataka Sakala Services Act, 2011, to issue residential and domicile certificates.
Election officials said that to be eligible to register as a voter, a person must be an Indian citizen. They said the 2002 mapping exercise is related to citizenship and is being conducted under Article 326 of the Constitution. The Citizenship Act, 1955, is also being followed for the SIR exercise, under which data from 2002 is being obtained.
“The PRC alone does not prove citizenship. Supporting documents submitted for obtaining the PRC would be required to establish citizenship,” the election official added.