Despite advances in technology, people still have to make multiple visits to government offices to get crucial documents ranging from income and community certificates to documents for financial assistance
The government has launched E-Serve Common Service Centres (CSCs) to help the faster distribution of certificates. Here's how to access these services
What are E-Serve CSCs ?
The centres are part of a national mission to introduce e-governance on a massive scale to make government services accessible to all
What services do the centres provide?
The centres process residents' applications for various services online and also collect bills for amenities provided by the government and local bodies
What is the procedure to obtain a certificate?
A resident should first give an application in writing mentioning the certificate she needs
She also needs to pay a registration fee of Rs. 50
The completed application forms along with the supporting documents are scanned and forwarded to the respective Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) and later, Revenue Inspectors (RIs) for approval
Deputy Tahsildars and Tahsildars ‘e-sign’ the certificates after approval from the RIs and VAOs
Supporting documents for Community Certificate
Ration Card or any other address proof, age proof, community certificates of parents, school transfer certificate
If the applicant cannot produce any of the above documents, a notary certificate to the satisfaction of revenue officials can be submitted
For nativity certificate
Ration card
For income certificate
Ration card, payslip from employers (for private companies)/pay certificate from respective pay disbursement officer for government employees
For destitute widow benefits
Death certificate of the husband and any other proof to substantiate applicant’s claim
If the documents are in order, the VAO will e-sign the application and forward it to the RI for verification. Once done, the Tahsildar will issue the certificate in 2-3 days
An electronic acknowledgement will be given with a docket number and once the document is ready, an SMS alert will be sent to the applicant’s mobile number so that they can collect the certificate
Bill payments
Monthly/bi-monthly power bills, water and sewer charges can also be remitted here
Expert speak
Applicants will be spared the trouble of waiting to meet revenue staff, but staff will continue to make spot inspections to verify the claims of applicants for various documents. There should be complete transparency and the applicant should be free from duress
P. Viswanathan, convenor, Chitlapakkam Residents Coordination Committee
