BHUBANESWAR: Members of the ruling BJD members expressed concern over the delay in issue of caste certificates to students of socially and economically backward classes (SEBC) and other backward classes (OBC) for taking admission to vocational and technical courses.
Raising the issue during zero hour, senior BJD member Kalpataru Das told the Assembly that while MLAs and MPs are competent to issue caste certificates to students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, they have not been authorised to issue caste certificates to SEBC and OBC students.
While counselling for admission to degree engineering sources is on, SEBC and OBC students are making beeline to MLAs and MPs for caste certificates for taking admission to vocational courses like ITI, ICT and polytechnics; and technical and professional courses at diploma level. However, the MLAs and MPs are unable to issue them caste certificates due to lack of suitable instruction from the government.
He alleged that there is acute shortage of application forms in tehsil offices to apply for caste certificates. Wherever available, an application form is sold at Rs 20 out of which Rs 5 goes to the government and the major chunk is retained by the tehsil office as administrative and processing charges.
Das further alleged that applicants are forced to pay Rs 40 for court fee which actually cost Rs 4. He urged the government to provide application form free of cost and the provision of court fee should be done away with.
He urged the government through the Speaker of the Assembly to decentralise the process of issuing caste certificates like in Gujarat where sarpanches are a competent authority to issue such certificates.
While the government has extended the last date of admission to various technical and professional courses from July 15 to August 16, the BJD member urged the government to extend the last date to Septemberend.
Amar Prasad Satpathy, NCP, and Jeeban Pradip Das, BJD, also demanded that the MLAs and MPs be authorised to issue caste certificates to SEBC and OBC students.