Self-attestation to be introduced soon in Kerala

The government will do away with the mandatory attestation of certificates in Kerala by gazetted officers

In a bid to simplify procedures, the government is to do away with the mandatory attestation of certificates in the State by gazetted officers and to introduce self-attestation of certificates by applicants.

However, citizens will have to produce duly attested copies of certificates for government-related work where it is a statutory requirement.

Briefing mediapersons here on Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said self-attestation of certificates for government-related work would come into effect soon. The order to this effect would be issued soon.

Under the self-attestation method, original certificates would be required to be produced at the final stage by the applicant, he said.

The citizen-friendly move is based on the recommendation of 12th report, ‘citizen centric administration — the heart of governance,’ of the second Administrative Reforms Commission.

NCRMP in 9 districts

The Chief Minister said the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) would be implemented in nine coastal districts of the State. The NCRMP seeks to minimise vulnerability in cyclone hazard prone States and Union Territories and make people and infrastructure disaster-resilient, in harmony with conservation of coastal ecosystems. A steering committee will be set up in the State for its implementation and appraisal, he said.

Plus Two batches

The Chief Minister said the government would not go back on the decision to sanction 699 new higher secondary (Plus Two) batches in government and aided schools. “The package is need-based and insulated from corruption. In government schools, teachers are to be posted from the teachers bank and guest lecturers will be posted in aided schools. It is less expensive and the government is proud of the decision taken,” Mr. Chandy said.

Munnar eviction case

On the High Court verdict in Munnar eviction case, he said the Cabinet had given the nod for the decision taken at the high-level meeting in Kochi on Tuesday to challenge the verdict. “All possibilities, including filing an appeal and a review petition, will be looked into,” he added.