VAs work overtime to collect info of 4 lakh students' families in

Parents, school heads question the purpose of gathering info when they  don’t need caste, income certificates. 

Address 1: Pavithra S, D/o Satyanarayana, Vidya Nagar, Kavoor Village, Rajeev Nagar, Shakthi Nagar.Address 2: Manjunath, S/o Laxman, Bikarnakatta, Mangalore – 575 003.Address 3: Azeez, S/o Mohammed, Ullal.Address 4: Swarna Kumari, Nanthoor, Padav.
These are some of the samples of addresses of the students, given to Village Accountants (VAs) in the second week of June. They have been asked to collect information such as the students’ caste, family income, ration card number, socio economic caste census (SECC) number, total land in the possession of the family of the student and details of the family members of the student(s).

 Though they were supposed to complete the exercise by June 30, about 11,000 applications are still pending to be filled and the VAs are working overtime to complete the procedure.

In fact, the entire exercise is a part of the State government’s ambitious plan of providing income / caste certificates to students.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, one of the village accountants, who did not wish to be quoted, said that most of the addresses given to them are incomplete and without telephone numbers. “It is a Herculean task to get the details from the students,” said a VA while another said: “Either the student or his parent must be very popular or notorious. Otherwise, there is no way of reaching the student or getting the details.”Citing an example of Address 1, the VA said that Vidya Nagar and Rajeev Nagar are two areas which are about 15 kms away. “The address has to be either Vidya Nagar or Rajeev Nagar.”

When contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sadashiv Prabhu, who is monitoring the project, said that there might have been some errors in the initial stages, but they are being rectified.

On the other hand, to make the job easy, the VAs have been asked to go to the schools, where they can get information on every student easily through teachers.

What is the purpose?

Meanwhile, VAs on condition of anonymity said that a number of parents, when called, sought to know why the details are being collected when they do not need an income of caste certificate! “My family income is above Rs 8 lakh per annum and the income certificate or caste certificate is of no use to us,” said Joy D’Silva, an entrepreneur, whose son studies in II standard in St Aloysius School.

When contacted, St Aloysius (Gonzaga) School Principal Grace Noronha said that she too is not aware of any such project of collecting information to issue caste / income certificate.

Similarly, when contacted Canara School Headmistress Lalana Shenoy said that she is not aware of the purpose of collecting details. “I tried to enquire with officials and senior officials, but all that they told me was: It has to be done, because senior officials have told them!”

Terming the entire exercise as a sheer waste of time and energy, she said that she had filled the details in English and submitted to the persons concerned.

 “Subsequently, they told me to fill the forms and give the details in Kannada too. It took a few days to fill the details in Kannada… Now they want the same to be typed…”“Students belonging to SC/ST/OBC may need the income or caste certificate,” she said and added that there is absolutely no point in collecting the information from all the students, especially when nobody (neither parents nor students) needs it or when it is going to be of no help to anybody, she rued.

60 pc over

When contacted, ADC Sadashiv Prabhu said that more than 300 VAs are at the job and they have already received 4,08,302 applications, out of which 2,42,985 certificates have been printed after verification.

While 11,787 applications are pending with Revenue Inspectors, 45,278 applications are pending with Nada Kacheri case workers, 63,906 with Taluk case workers, 7,737 with deputy tahsildars and 16,063 with tahsildars.

The information gathered by more than 300 VAs is checked by 17 Revenue Inspectors (of 17 Hoblis in Dakshina Kannada district). The same are forwarded to 17 deputy tahsildars, who issue income certificates while another set is forwarded to 7 tahsildars, who issue caste certificates. The entire process is being monitored by Additioal Deputy Commissioner Sadashiv Prabhu.

Prabhu said that the entire process may get over in another two weeks.