How to Apply for Caste Certificate Online & Offline? People from historically degraded community groups within India are classified by law as belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
These terms are also recognized as part of Article 17 of our Constitution that provides those who belong to these communities with certain rights and privileges that help combat the widespread discrimination and inequality in society.
According to the Census of 2011, according to the 2011 Census, around 16.6 percentage and 14 per cent of the population of India were members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively. According to the Schedule Caste Order of 1950, our Constitution lists about 1108 castes scattered across 29 states in the first schedule.
It is also noted that the Constitution Order dated the same year lists 744 tribes that reside across 22 states as Scheduled Tribes in its First Schedule.
What is a Caste Certificate?
In layman’s terms, a Caste certificate/Community certificate could be defined as documentary evidence of the person belonging to a particular caste or tribe, especially those mentioned in the SC and ST list in our Constitution.
Advantages of Caste Certificate
With its long-lasting validity, It is a Caste certificate is an important document for each Indian, especially for those from backward communities and castes.
This is a form that is required to be filed by those belonging to specified castes or backward communities who wish to take advantage of the many reservations and special quotas
- Admissions to reputed colleges and some other schools too.
- Accessing housing subsidies.
- Getting academic/professional scholarships.
- Eligibility for special government job schemes specifically designed for those in the SC/ST or OBC category.
- Land allotment in specially reserved allotment quota
- To participate in the election process as an election candidate.
- To obtain an educational loan or other loans with special rates.
There are two ways to obtain this certificate from the Community.
- Caste Certificate Online
- Caste Certificate Offline
How to Apply for Caste Certificate Online
However, despite the increasing internet presence in India, only a handful of states can apply online for a Community certificate.
The most common method of applying for an online Community certificate is accessing the website of the state’s official backward class department and filling out the online application form for a caste certificate. Follow the steps given below.
- Click the link to submit your application to get the certificate of Community online.
- You have two options. You can choose to make a new account or submit an online application directly.
- After your account is successfully set up, sign in with your unique login name and password.
- Complete your details as needed – Name, address, contact information, etc.
- Once you’ve completed the process, check the information and hit then the SUBMIT button.
- Choose the kind of document that you want to share (scanned versions) and then click on the SUBMIT button.
- You will then get an acknowledgement slip that includes the number of your application.
- Print both and save them. The application number each time you check your community certificate status on the internet.
- You might also receive an SMS or email advising you of the state of your application.
- After your application has been checked, you can download your certificate of Community online.
How to Apply for Caste Certificate Offline
The process of applying for a Community Certificate offline is often lengthy and tiring. It could require multiple visits to the closest Tehsil office, Revenue Office, SDM office or SETU/CSC centres.
Here’s what you must do:
- Visit the office of your local Tehsil/SDM and pick up the application form to get a Community Certificate.
- Complete the necessary personal information and contact details.
- Be sure to enter the details on your Community Certificate for your father. If you are unfortunate enough to experience the passing of your father, you could include the names of your nearest blood relatives.
- Make sure you check the option for the caste you’d like to apply for.
- Foreigners who are migrant workers must provide all information completely.
- Make sure that you sign your self-declaration portion of this form.
- Place your passport size photo on the form. Then, share the information of a local source (for confirmation purposes).
- Complete the original form and attested copies of the supporting documents to the officer in charge.
- Keep all the original documents on hand to check further in the event of need.
- If everything goes according to plan, you can be able to get your community certificate in 30 days or less.
The documents required to obtain the Caste Certificate
Here’s a comprehensive listing of all the necessary documents required to obtain a Community certificate online or offline from the appropriate authority. The identical set of documents is typically required to obtain the Community certificate to all eligible communities.
A handy tip In certain situations or married women, as well as those who have been converted to a new faith, may be required to provide additional documents.
1. For Identity Proof
- Aadhaar Card
- Driving License
- Voter ID
- Valid Passport
- Pan card
- MNREGA Card
2. For Address Proof
- Aadhaar Card
- Electricity Bill
- Driving License
- Passport
- Water Bill
- Telephone Bill
- Ration Card
- House Rent Receipt
3. Affidavit for a Community Certificate
4. The proof of caste (Self or the blood relatives of)
- You’ll need an extract from the school register for the person who is applying or the register of his father or grandfather.
- Alternately, you can make use of the primary school leave certificate of the person applying.
- If that information isn’t available, his father’s excerpt from the birth register or the birth register of blood relation.
- An excerpt from the Government Service Record book detailing the details of the Community and caste of the father or other relative.
- A certificate was released from the Department of Social Justice certifying his casting.
- Validity certificate (if you have one) for the father of a family member from the scrutiny committee.
- A duplicate of the village panchayat, or income record.
- Documents that prove the caste of the person and his place of residence before the notification was issued.
In certain instances, authorities may request additional documentation along with the documents mentioned above. Here’s a list of possible scenarios and the documents required.
Non-availability of Father’s Community Certificate
In this instance, the applicant is required to give the Community certificate of his closest blood relative.
Married Women
Women who are married and applying for a certificate of Community are required to present the certificate of Community that they receive when they are married, together, and their wedding certificates. Proof of name change notification published in the Gazette is required to change your name following marriage.
Religion Conversion
In these cases, applicants must submit documentary evidence of their caste before the conversion.
Change of State/District
In this case, the applicant must present his father’s caste certificate issued by the district to indicate where he came from.
Caste Certificate v/s Caste Validity Certificate
However, it’s important to remember that a Community certificate differs from a Caste Validity certification which can be a reason for confusion frequently.
To clarify, although a Community certificate defines your caste and your caste validity, it is a Caste Validity certificate. However, it is required to authenticate your Community certificate. It is required because there are many fake Community certificates used to achieve various shady purposes.
How to Apply for Caste Validity Certificate
As previously mentioned, A Caste Validity Certificate differs from the Community certificate. It is specifically used to confirm an existing Community certificate. It is a shorter and easier procedure in obtaining one, as described below.
- The first step is to take the valid form for casting from the office of the SDM/Tehsil closest to you.
- Input the required information and then submit the information.
- That’s all there is to it. It generally takes about one month or so before the certificates are completed.
What is a Central Caste Certificate?
It’s similar to a Community Certificate issued by the state agency in most ways and has the same characteristics and benefits. Central Caste certificates come with distinct templates for the different types of certificates (OBC, SC, ST and NT).
All you have to do is print the appropriate form from the internet, fill in the required information and attach the necessary documents, and then submit it to the nearest office of SDM/Tehsil near you.
Also, this certificate could aid you in getting particular loans, school or college admission into reserved quotas, federal jobs, housing subsidies, and scholarships, among other advantages.
In Conclusion
Community certificates are essential in ensuring that the Indian SC/ST communities have an equal chance at education and advancement; the necessity of securing certain quotas for them, particularly regarding college and school admissions, remains a subject of debate.
There is a rising demand from the nation’s educated population that admissions or jobs must be based strictly on merit and eligibility and not on what group of people the applicant is from.
But, the need for more quotas increases, with the recent violent protests by the Marathas in support of the reservation of 16% being an example. It is believed that the Dhangar(shepherd) people plans to launch the same agitation for the quota for schools and jobs in the ST category.
The second most frequent issue with obtaining the Community Certificate is the long and often lengthy online application for the community certificate. Recognizing this problem, the Maharashtra government changed the rules last year, revoking the requirement for a residence certificate for applicants whose relatives or fathers (on their father’s side) have an official certificate.
After the lineage has been established, no further documents are required. In this way, applicants will present the copy of their blood relatives’ authentic Certificate of Community to the district scrutiny committee. This information will then be published on the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute ( BARTI) official website.
If there is no objection within 15 days and there are no objections within 15 days, then the Community certification is granted instantly without the need for additional documents to support it.
