In a circular issued during the day, the revenue department outlined an action plan instructing tehsildars, sub-divisional officers, district collectors, and divisional commissioners to scrutinise records using 16 parameters
Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule highlighted several cities and talukas as hotspots for dubious birth and death records. File pic
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday ordered an immediate crackdown on illegally obtained birth and death certificates across the state, directing officials to cancel all suspicious entries and lodge police complaints without delay, news agency PTI reported.
The directive came after a high-level meeting with senior home and revenue department officials, the minister’s office said in a statement.
“The government will not tolerate bogus certificates. Any birth or death certificate issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card, or found to be suspicious, must be cancelled immediately and a police complaint should be filed,” the Maharashtra Minister said.
In a circular issued during the day, the revenue department outlined an action plan instructing tehsildars, sub-divisional officers, district collectors, and divisional commissioners to scrutinise records using 16 parameters, reported PTI.
The move follows growing concerns over certificates obtained through forged or inadequate documents. According to the circular, all birth and death certificates issued by naib tehsildars after the amendment dated August 11, 2023, will be withdrawn and cancelled.
“Certificates issued solely on the strength of an Aadhaar card will be treated as defective, as the document cannot be accepted as proof of birth or place of birth under Central guidelines. District collectors and divisional commissioners must hold special drives and dispose of pending cases through dedicated camps,” the circular added.
Officials have also been instructed to initiate criminal proceedings wherever discrepancies are found between application details and the date of birth mentioned on Aadhaar cards, PTI reported. Beneficiaries who fail to return original certificates or cannot be traced will be listed and declared “absconding,” with local police asked to register first information reports (FIRs) against them.
Bawankule highlighted several cities and talukas as hotspots for dubious birth and death records.
“These include Amravati, Sillod, Akola, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, Latur, Anjangaon Surji, Achalpur, Pusad, Parbhani, Beed, Gevrai, Jalna, Ardhapur and Parli. Tehsildars and district collectors in these regions have been asked to conduct thorough inspections,” the statement said, adding that while the health department handles registrations within the first year, entries older than that are processed by the revenue department.
However, widespread misuse through forged documents has prompted the government to undertake a comprehensive review and withdrawal of fraudulent certificates, Bawankule added.
(With PTI inputs)
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