DC office awaits Guv nod to income certificates

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 12

The DC office sent a proposal to the Governor’s Office pertaining to income certificates on Wednesday, as last year, the Governor had asked the DC not to issue income certificates after February. However, according to the Education Department, they had requested the DC to issue income certificates last week after getting an approval from the Governor in this regard.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Arjun Sharma said: “We have sent the proposal to the Governor to confirm if income certificates are to be issued or self-attested declaration is to be used. We will do as our seniors will ask us to do. The proposal has been submitted to the Home Secretary and will be reviewed by the Adviser and Governor.”

Deputy Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar, while confirming the development, said we are already in the process to get confirmation regarding income certificates.

Meanwhile, BL Sharma, Education Secretary, said: “The matter will be discussed on December 14 and a decision will be taken keeping in view the overall situation and requirement. The matter is confidential as of now.”

In the wake of ‘no confirmation’ from the DC office for the issuance of income certificate, the Education Department had recently postponed the last date for obtaining admission forms for economically weaker section (EWS) from December 14 to December 25.

Challenges ahead for the DC office

Even if the Governor directs the DC office to issue income certificate, the shortage of staff at the office will make it a long process, given the time left. It is less likely that the income certificates of EWS families will be issued before the deadline — December 25.

A source in the DC office said: “During the admission process, 5,000 applicants are required to be verified by us on an average. For doing this task, there are only 5-6 employees in the office.”

According to sources, there is no foolproof method to determine income of a family. Field-level functionaries face a lot of problems. In the absence of any guidelines for verification, except that the income should not be more than Rs 1, 50,000 per annum, it becomes challenging for the DC office to filter out the fake EWS applicants.

Last year, some Patwaris had to face inquiries when several schools questioned the certification by the DC office. Tender Heart School, Sector 33, and Bhawan Vidyalaya School were the ones that had complained about the possession of income certificates by the applicants. The schools even visited their home to ascertain the genuine EWS cases.

Parents question U-turn from self-declaration to income certificates

• Last year, the DC office refused to issue income certificates after which it was decided that self-declaration affidavits will be accepted. 
• Nitin Goyal, Chandigarh Parents’ Association president, said: “Private schools are abusing the issue of income certificates as an obstacle for granting admissions to poor children under the EWS quota while the UT Administration had clearly directed them last year to accept the self-declarations. Instead of enforcing the order, the Education Department has fallen into the trap of the school management and taken a U-turn by asking the DC office to start issuing income certificates, while they do not have sufficient staff or capability to authentically verify the eligibility of the applicants within the deadline fixed for the submission of admission forms.”
• Sumitra, a parent, said: “Our forms are not being accepted by Strawberry Fields High School as they tell us to get income certificates or directions from the DEO stating that schools can accept self-declaration affidavits. What is wrong in self-declaration affidavits? We are ready to take the responsibility for our declaration and face action if found fake.”