Punjab govt to launch online attestation for councillors, sarpanches, lambardars

The state government has begun the process of making attestation by councillors, sarpanches and lambardars online through the eSewa and mSewa portals. Although an official announcement about the launch of the new digital attestation system is pending from the Chief Minister, the Department of Governance Reforms has already started preparations for the initiative.

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Once launched, the new system would help curb fraudulent transactions related to fake attestations by municipal councillors, sarpanches and lambardars. The new process would also alleviate the burden on these officials, as their physical presence would no longer be required at the place of attestation. Instead, they would be able to verify beneficiary details through a specific WhatsApp ID. The eSewa and mSewa portals would serve as the platforms where elected representatives would receive applications for attestation.

The Department of Governance Reforms (DGR) here has already conducted training sessions for councillors, lambardars and newly elected sarpanches.

According to a communiqué sent to SDMs, Tehsildars, BDPOs and Executive Officers in Malerkotla, Amargarh and Ahmedgarh, the attestation process for various documents — such as income certifications, issuance of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates, caste certificates, widow pensions and old-age pensions — would be transitioned to an online format under the eSewa and mSewa portals, in line with the state government's guidelines.

The letter, written by Assistant Commissioner (G) Gurmit Kumar Bansal, confirms the attestation process for these documents would soon be handled online. "All attestations done by municipal councillors, sarpanches and lambardars concerning income certification, EWS certificates, caste certificates, widow pensions and old-age pensions would be converted to online under the eSewa portal," the letter states.

Gurmit Kumar Bansal also acknowledged the DGR Wing of the district administration had successfully trained municipal councillors, sarpanches and lambardars on the new system.

Though the administration has not yet publicly released full details of the system, it is believed the online attestation process is being implemented to reduce the risk of fake attestations, which have led to fraudulent activities in the past.

DGR officer Narinder Sharma said elected representatives and lambardars are being trained on various aspects of the draft programme to facilitate online attestations. “While we are awaiting further details, we have been advised to update participants on the procedure and precautions to be taken during online attestations via mobile WhatsApp, eSewa and mSewa portals,” Sharma said. He emphasized that the new system would help eliminate the possibility of fake attestations, which had contributed to multiple fraudulent cases in the past.