Guwahati: The Mission Bhumiputra Portal has been launched by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati. Students who participate in the Mission Bhumiputra Scheme will receive digitalized caste certificates within a month of submitting an application.
The CM further stated that when requesting a caste certificate, questions on the nationality of indigenous people would not be permitted.
The continuous Gorkha protests calling for the label of indigenous people to end prejudice against them were another factor in the scheme’s development.
The Scheduled Caste Student Union voiced concern about the possibility of false certificates being issued. “The Mission Bhumiputra System is a mission-based scheme that intends to streamline the process of providing caste certificates,” stated CM Sarma.
The chief minister said the programme appeared hopeful to reduce the procedure of paying bribes while filing for caste certificates, saying it has been a significant issue for a long time.
The District Commissioner will deliver the forms to the educational institutions, however students in class 8 and upwards can apply for caste certificates starting in the next year. However, the forms will be made available in the digilocker in 2017 under the IT Act, 2000, with digital signatures from the relevant Deputy Commissioners, who will be helped in the identification process by official organisations of various castes.
The CM said that new land possessing legislation for tribes will go into effect on October 2, 2022.
A tribal member is no longer permitted to own more than 50 Bighas of land under the new law, and in the event that they are forced to leave government property, they will be compensated.
However, future EWS certificate requirements will be more flexible.