12.5 lakh domicile certificates issued under new J& K law
‘ Can only apply for jobs with certificate’
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir authorities have issued as many as 12.5 lakh domicile certificates under a new law, the introduction of which earlier this year had raised fears of the beginning of demographic changes in predominantly Muslim ( erstwhile) state. However allaying these fears, a senior government official said here on Tuesday that the new domicile certificates were only for applying for jobs and do not confer rights to own land. “The new domicile certificate is for applying for jobs in J& K,” an official said.
EARLIER THE govt spokesman sought to clarify that 99% of new domicile certificates were issued to those residents of J& K who were already holding ' state subject certificates' under a 1927 law or ( including) Kashmiri Pandit migrants
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities have issued as many as 12.5 lakh domicile certificates under a new law, the introduction of which earlier this year had raised fears of the beginning of demographic changes in predominantly Muslim ( erstwhile) state.
However, allaying these fears, a senior government official said on Tuesday that the new domicile certificates were only for applying for jobs and do not confer rights to own land. “The new domicile certificate is for applying for jobs in J& K. It does not confer right to buy land,” principal secretary revenue, Pawan Kotwal told reporters. He also said that those holding domicile certificates would not be included in the voters’ list in the Union Territory either.
Earlier government spokesman Rohit Kansal sought to clarify that 99 percent of new domicile certificates were issued to those residents of J& K who were already holding ‘ state subject certificates’ under a 1927 law or ( including) Kashmiri Pandit migrants. The old ‘ state subject’ law was replaced by the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate ( Procedure) Rules, 2020, enacted in April this year, eight months after the state was stripped of its special status and split up into two Union Territories by the Centre.
Mr Kansal, who is J& K’s principal secretary power development and information departments said that among the new beneficiaries who were not permanent residents of the state include 11,398 refugees from erstwhile West Pakistan, 415 members of Valmiki Samaj ( sweepers) and 10 of those belonging to Gorkha community besides 12, 340 registered migrants.
Asserting the government has accelerated the issuance of domicile certificates, he said, “The process of issuance of domicile certificates is picking up rapidly and certificate issuance is being monitored regularly”.
He said, “About 12.5 lakh such certificates have been issued so far.”