A domicile certificate or an income certificate should be self-attested. City mayor and state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said he would raise the point in the next state cabinet meeting so that no one had to visit a government officer or an elected representative to get their signatures on these certificates.
He was speaking during the discussion on a proposal by a councillor of Kolkata at the monthly house meeting — where all councillors are present. A councillor said that it was very difficult to obtain a domicile certificate from government officers. Hakim said he would want all these certificates to be self-attested.
An income certificate is required to become a beneficiary of various social welfare schemes of the government. Domicile certificates are required for government jobs and admission to educational institutions like engineering and medical colleges.
“I do not know why signatures of government officers or councillors are required for these certificates. Our chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) had spoken in favour of self-attested certificates,” he said.
“I will raise this point in the next state cabinet meeting....” Hakim also said there should be an end to the system of councillors issuing certificates to current owners of plots before the properties go for mutation in the land department’s records.
BPL revision
Hakim also spoke about the need to revise the list of people below the poverty line (BPL). He admitted there has not been a BPL revision for some time, but said this would need the government’s nod. Revision of the list is necessary to include those who deserve to be on the list but are not there, Hakim added.