Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has issued strict directives to expedite the issuance of essential certificates to students for their enrolment in educational institutions.
On Wednesday, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arvind Padhee issued a formal letter to all district collectors, warning that any unnecessary delays in issuing residence, income, and caste certificates would face disciplinary actions.
This came on the day the government notified implementation of the enhanced quota for SC and ST and introducing a quota for the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in medical and technical education starting from the academic year 2026-27.
Recognising that the historic overhaul will trigger a massive surge in applications for mandatory category certificates, the Revenue Secretary emphasised that no student should be deprived of admission due to bureaucratic delays at the tehsil level.
Streamlining the process
Clear operational guidelines have been issued for all field officials to process applications within the binding timeframes stipulated under the Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012 (ORTPSA).
Officials have been instructed to immediately review and clear requests logged on the e-District portal (edistrict.odisha.gov.in). Since applicants already submit self-declarations for income and residence certificates, these are to be cleared immediately without unnecessary delays.
For caste certificates requiring ground verification, the process must be conducted swiftly at the village level. The directive explicitly mandates that any field verification pending with the Revenue Inspector (RI) must not exceed three days. Furthermore, unless clearly specified by current legal frameworks, officials are strictly prohibited from compelling applicants to produce non-essential documents, instructing them instead to verify credentials using existing digital databases and government records.
To ensure strict compliance and absolute accountability, the state government has instituted a tiered, rigorous monitoring framework. Sub-Collectors have been directed to personally track pending certificate data on a daily basis and initiate remedial interventions if any blockages occur. Additionally, Additional District Magistrates (ADMs) will review the tehsil-level pendency every 7 days, district collectors every 15 days, and revenue commissioners on a monthly basis.
The state government reemphasised that all revenue officials bear the responsibility of ensuring that students do not lose out on higher education opportunities during the upcoming 2026-27 admission cycle due to paperwork delays. Any administrative negligence, laxity, or uncalled-for delay regarding this public service will be treated with utmost severity and will invite immediate disciplinary proceedings against the responsible officers, Padhee added.
