Bhubaneswar: With the admission season underway across various educational institutions, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, has issued a strict directive to all District Collectors to ensure the swift issuance of miscellaneous and caste certificates for students.
Recognizing a massive surge in applications for resident, income, and caste certificates, ACS Dr. Padhee emphasized that these essential public services must be processed within the timelines stipulated under the Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012 (ORTPSA). The move aims to eliminate any hardships faced by students and their parents during the crucial admission process.
To streamline the system, ACS Dr. Padhee has outlined clear guidelines for revenue officials. Applications submitted on the e-District portal must be verified and decided upon immediately. Since applicants provide a self-declaration for resident and income certificates, these documents should be issued without any unnecessary delay. For caste certificates, field verification at the village level must be fast-tracked, with a strict rule that such verifications should not remain pending with the Revenue Inspector for more than three days. Furthermore, officials have been instructed not to force applicants to submit unnecessary documents unless explicitly mandated by prevailing rules, and to instead rely on data available across government records and digital platforms.
To ensure strict compliance, a multi-tier monitoring system has been put in place under ACS Dr. Padhee’s direction. Sub-Collectors are required to personally monitor the pendency daily and take immediate corrective measures if delays are detected. Additionally, Additional District Collectors will review the progress every 7 days, District Collectors every 15 days, and Revenue Divisional Commissioners will conduct tahsil-level review meetings every month.
ACS Dr. Padhee warned that no student should be deprived of admission due to a delay in obtaining certificates from tahsil offices. Any negligence or unwarranted delay by revenue officials in this regard will be viewed seriously and will invite appropriate disciplinary action.