Patna: The Bihar Government has introduced significant changes in the process of issuing caste, income, and residence certificates across the state. Under the revised rules, these certificates will no longer be issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card, and applicants will now be required to submit additional supporting documents.
Officials said the reform has been implemented as part of the Bihar Administrative Reforms Mission, with the objective of making the certification process more transparent and preventing fraudulent issuance of certificates.
According to departmental authorities, applicants submitting requests through the Right to Public Service (RTPS) counters or the online portal will now have to provide more detailed personal information in the application form. In addition to their name, applicants must also mention their father’s name, mother’s name, and, in the case of married individuals, the name of their spouse.
Applicants will also be required to declare which documents they possess to support their application. The government has listed several acceptable records, including land ownership documents such as khatiyan (land records), donation deeds, land-related documents, records of land allotted to landless individuals, and other revenue records.
If an applicant does not possess any of these documents, they can choose the option of a site inspection while submitting the application. In such cases, the concerned revenue official will conduct a physical verification of the applicant’s residence or status before completing the necessary checks and issuing the certificate according to the prescribed procedure.
The state government believes that the new system will strengthen transparency and accountability in the certification process, ensuring that official certificates are issued only to eligible individuals and that government welfare schemes reach genuine beneficiaries.
