West Bengal launches re-verification of caste certificates issued since 2011 after authenticity doubts
Nearly 1.69 crore certificates now face a second check
West Bengal has ordered district administrations to re-verify caste certificates issued since 2011, including those distributed through the Duare Sarkar outreach camps. The backward classes welfare department’s directive covers about 1.69 crore certificates over 15 years: roughly 1 crore for Scheduled Castes, 21 lakh for Scheduled Tribes, and 48 lakh for Other Backward Classes. Authorities say doubts have emerged over the authenticity of some certificates and warn of strict penalties for improper issuance. The state is also re-scrutinizing certificates tied to names removed from electoral rolls during the recent SIR exercise.
- West Bengal began re-verification of caste certificates issued since 2011
- The order covers nearly 1.69 crore certificates across SC ST and OBC categories
- About 47.8 lakh certificates were issued through Duare Sarkar camps in 10 phases
- Officials cited concerns over authenticity genuineness and document-based second-generation certificates
- Issuing authorities must follow prevailing norms or face legal action and penalties
- Fresh scrutiny targets certificates of people whose names were removed from electoral rolls
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
The Economic Times