The Jammu and Kashmir administration has issued over 18.52 lakh domicile certificates so far.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the Jammu and Kashmir administration has agreed in principle to amend rules for easy issuance of domicile certificates. This will particularly facilitate issuing domicile certificates to children, on production of a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) of either of the parents, he said.
"After discussion with #JammuKashmir LG Sh Manoj Sinha & CS Sh Subrahmanium, the UT Govt has agreed in principle to amend/modify rules for ease in issue of #DomicileCertificate. Formal orders being issued soon," Singh, said in a tweet.
The move comes after it was noticed that applications for issuance of domicile certificates were being rejected by the issuing authorities "due to misinterpretation of the provisions" set out in an order issued in May and also because of the "absence of enabling provisions" for the issuance of the certificate to a woman, who is not a native of Jammu and Kashmir, but is married to a PRC holder, officials said. The PRC of the mother is not acknowledged as a valid document for issuance of domicile certificate to the ward, officials added. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has agreed in principle to amend the necessary rules to ensure that people do not face problems in getting domicile certificates, officials said.
The union territory government has issued over 18.52 lakh domicile certificates against the 21.99 lakh applications received so far. The government notified the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, on May 18 and allowed different categories of non-locals, including government employees, to register for domicile certificates. According to the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in Jammu and Kashmir are entitled to get domicile certificates in the Union Territory. Prior to the nullification of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, only state subjects were allowed to buy land and apply for government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.