CUTTACK: Sixteen-year-old Rina Behera of Chhatra Bazaar Behera Sahi is studying in college. However, she does not have a birth certificate yet. Though seven months have passed since her parents had filed a miscellaneous case at the Cuttack Sadar sub-collector’s office for generation of her birth certificate, they have not yet received any response in this regard.
Purnima Sahoo of Mangala Sahi under Nuapada RI circle is also sailing in the same boat as the authorities concerned are yet to provide the birth certificate of her 8-year-old daughter Shradha Singh.
Like Rina and Shradha, several home-born children in different slums of Cuttack city are yet to receive their birth certificates, thanks to the alleged apathy of the district administration in conducting proper survey in this regard.
As per norms, parents of children who are born at home, are required to inform the same to the local auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) or ASHA worker within 21 days of their birth for generation of birth certificate. However, most of them fail to do so either due to lack of awareness or illiteracy.
In such a situation, lack of birth certificate prevents these children from availing various government benefits, generating their Aadhaar cards, ration cards, among others.
Considering their plight, Akhila Odisha Jhopadipati Mahasangha, a social outfit, had conducted awareness in different slums following which several parents had filed miscellaneous cases for availing birth certificates of their home-born children. “However despite that, the RI of Sadar tehsil is not conducting inquiry and submitting report which is in turn delaying these children from receiving their birth certificates. In absence of the document, they are facing various problems like availing government benefits etc,” alleged Mahasangha president Brundaban Das Azad.
He added that he had reported the matter to the collector thrice but to no avail. “Last month, when I took the issue to the collector during the district-level grievance hearing, he assigned the work to the sub-collector, Cuttack Sadar. But our grievance is yet to be addressed,” Azad said. He further said that he has written a letter to the collector and the chief minister seeking their intervention into the matter.