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He said at a press conference here that the decision has been taken to replace the existing birth certificate, which currently has to be obtained again and again for various purposes and does not have statutory legal validity.
He said the move is aimed at ensuring that no person is forced to struggle to prove his or her identity or residence in the state.
However, the announcement drew sharp reaction from the BJP, which alleged that the move was an example of “dangerous separatist politics”. Vijayan said that the situation in which people are forced to struggle to prove their existence is a matter of concern.
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He said, every person should be able to easily establish before any authority that he was born in this state and is residing in this state or that he is a permanent resident here.
Vijayan said, “No one should face the situation of exclusion. For this the person should have an authentic document with legal backing.” He said that the state government intends to introduce such a document in Kerala.
The Cabinet has given in-principle approval to issue permanent, photo-embedded Native Identity Cards in place of birth certificates currently issued.
The Chief Minister said, “This card will be an authentic document with legal validity, which can be used at all times in place of the birth certificate and will be applicable for state government related services as well as other social needs.”
Stating that a birth certificate is a document that proves a person’s birth and long-term residence in a state, he said it does not have statutory legal validity.
He explained that currently, people need to obtain birth certificates multiple times for different purposes.
He said that this issue has been repeatedly raised as a complaint with the government and there has been a continuous demand from the public for a solution.
“The introduction of the Nativity card is expected to solve these problems,” the CM said.
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Vijayan said, the Cabinet has tasked the Revenue Department to prepare a draft law in consultation with the Law Department, to provide legal validity to the card and submit it for the consideration of the Cabinet.
Once implemented, the card can be used as a beneficiary identification document for government services. CM said that it will be the responsibility of Tehsildars to issue the cards.
Soon after his announcement, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar issued a statement saying that his party would legally challenge the move to provide a special identity document for the people of Kerala.
He alleged that the proposal to introduce photo-embedded nativity certificates was a demand that was not raised even by separatist organisations.
Accusing the Chief Minister of trying to create unnecessary fear among the public, Chandrashekhar claimed that the announcement was aimed at diverting attention from the alleged setback suffered by the ruling front in the recent local body elections.
(edited by : Sarabasti Biswas,