Srinagar, Aug 1: In a landmark step, the administration of Jammu and Kashmir has given residence certificates to over 61,47,482 individuals in Union Territory under the new domicile legislation.
According to officials, it is the first time in the history of J&K that West Pakistani refugees in Jammu and Kashmir, Valmikis, Gurkhas, those displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the Chhamb region between 1947, 1965, and 1971, safai karamcharis, and children of women married outside Jammu and Kashmir now enjoy the same civil rights as other citizens under state-subject laws.
Following the repeal of Article 370, which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, 2019, and the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the government took the initiative to grant equal rights to every citizen living in the region, including dozens of families who did not have these rights as state residents prior to August 5, 2019.
According to the UT administration, the domicile certificate has made equality and justice attainable for everybody. This has preserved local youth jobs and removed areas that had been discriminated against for decades.
The baseline qualification for recruitment has been stated to be a domicile certificate. This is immediately available to all past residents. In addition, people who have lived in Jammu and Kashmir for 15 years or studied here for seven years and completed the 10th to 12th class exams from any institution in Jammu and Kashmir have been awarded domicile certificates.
The domicile regulations were often notified for this purpose, and the procedure was simplified and hastened by the creation of an online site. The domicile certificate is granted within 15 days, with the possibility of appealing to the competent authorities, while action is being taken against the officials who are causing the delay.
According to authorities, 61,47,482 persons have received residence certificates under Jammu and Kashmir’s new domicile legislation. The UT administration’s online system has effectively ended bribery, and officials are being held to a high standard of accountability.
The administration in May 2020 notified the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, to issue the certificates.
As per the new rules, which came into force in May 2020, “people who have been living in J&K for 15 years, those who have studied in the union territory for 7 years, or appeared in Class 10/12 examination from an educational institution in the region, as well as their children, are eligible for domicile”.
“As per the rules, residents of J&K who live outside the erstwhile state can get domicile certificates by simply producing their Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC), ration card copy, voter card or any other valid document,” the rule said. Children of officials of the Central government, all India services, banks and PSUs, statutory bodies and Central universities, who have served in UT for 10 years, are eligible under the rule to receive the certificates.
