Kolkata, August 21: The West Bengal government has issued a notification mandating the reverification of birth certificates released between 2021 and 2026. These certificates were issued during the last five years under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress government.
According to the notification from the office of Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the reverification will include birth certificates issued through both digital and offline means. This task has been assigned to Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs).
Following the recent election of a new government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the administration has noted several irregularities in the issuance of birth certificates during the previous government’s tenure, particularly in the last five years.
During the Special Intensive Review (SIR) conducted before the recent assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) identified a significant number of fraudulent birth certificates.
In response, the new state government has decided to reverify all birth certificates issued in the last five years. According to the notification, BDOs will verify certificates in rural areas, while SDOs will handle urban regions.
If necessary, BDOs and SDOs are authorized to form investigation teams for this purpose. An official from the Nabanna state secretariat stated that special attention will be given to delayed registrations.
The state government has also indicated that a thorough examination of verified documents will be conducted when issuing birth certificates to ensure compliance with established regulations.
As per the notification, the documents checked during the reverification process and their outcomes must be uploaded to the ‘Birth-Death Information Portal.’ The Chief Secretary’s office has also instructed the preparation of a detailed report for each birth certificate.
This report should indicate whether the respective birth certificates are genuine, fake, or defective. Additionally, BDOs and SDOs have been asked to consider the authority of the individual issuing the certificate.
A source from the state secretariat mentioned that if any certificate is found to be fake or illegal, the specific reason must be recorded in the document. BDOs and SDOs have been directed to complete this verification process by September.
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