More than 1.25 million issued Domicile Certificate in Jammu-Kashmir -

Srinagar: More than 1.25 million people have been issued Domicile Certificates under the new Domicile rules which came into effect, following the implementation of the changes in the residency rules in Jammu-Kashmir. This information has been revealed following the orders issued by Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu-Kashmir, to expedite the process to issue Domicile certificates. The work has been expedited and the sources informed that the delayed applications will be processed in this week.

The Union government abrogated article 370 and withdrew the special status, awarded to Jammu-Kashmir. Thereafter, in the month of March, the government implemented the new Domicile Law in Jammu-Kashmir, through an ordinance. Thereafter, the process of issuing certificates to the citizens at the earliest, is being reviewed, to expedite the process further. Till date, more than 1.25 million people have been issued Domicile certificates.

The proportion of people having Permanent Residency Certificate (PRC) is more, in the people who have been issued Domicile Certificates. Rohit Kansal, the spokesman of the Jammu-Kashmir administration said that nearly 99% of the PRC holders have been issued Domicile Certificates. Other than PRC holders, 11,398 refugees from Pakistan have been issued Domicile Certificates. 12,340 registered immigrants, 415 from the Walmiki community and 10 from the Gorkha community, also have been issued Domicile Certificates. 266,277 citizens in Kashmir and 945,000 citizens in Jammu sector have been issued Domicile Certificates, so far.

Kansal said that the process for issuing the Domicile certificate has been made easy and the revenue officials have been instructed to issue the certificates in five days. Efforts are being made to issue the certificates to the citizens at the earliest and even mobile vans have been pressed into service for this purpose. Pawan Kotwal, Chief Secretary of the revenue department said that 20,000 applications for the Domicile Certificates have been rejected. The Domicile Certificate will be required for employment. He also said that the Domicile Certificate will enable the holder to purchase land in the union territory and added that a separate set of rules need to be put in place for this purpose.