The West Bengal government on Thursday, 23 July revoked the authority of political heads of urban and rural civic bodies — including municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayats — to issue birth and death certificates, transferring that power exclusively to government officials. The move comes amid statewide raids targeting rackets that allegedly produced fake certificates to manipulate electoral rolls.

What Changed and Who Is Affected

Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal announced the decision at a press conference, stating that the state Health Department will distribute certificate-issuing responsibilities to officials across West Bengal. Elected civic heads — from panchayat chiefs to municipal corporation chairpersons — will no longer hold this authority.

'The state Health Department will distribute responsibilities to officials across the state in the matter,' Agarwal said. He added that strict action will be taken against any official found responsible for issuing fraudulent certificates.

The Fake Certificate Problem

Agarwal cited a surge in complaints about forged birth certificates, noting that irregularities were first widely detected during a special intensive revision exercise ahead of the state assembly polls. 'Fake birth certificates have been detected in many places. Many have taken advantage of that,' he said. Police have also received multiple complaints, and ongoing raids in districts including Birbhum, Cooch Behar, and West Burdwan are targeting networks allegedly supplying fake documents to include ineligible names in electoral rolls.

Raids and search operations are currently under way in Suri, Rampurhat, and Dubrajpur in Birbhum district; Cooch Behar town; and the industrial township in West Burdwan district, among other locations.

Verification Drive: All Certificates Since 1997 to Be Checked

In a significant administrative step, Agarwal announced that all birth and death certificates registered since 1997 will be subject to verification, after which a centralised database will be created. 'That database will be linked to the central portal. In that case, a door-to-door survey will be conducted. Those who do not have certificates will be given a hearing. Illegal certificates will be cancelled,' he said.

Agarwal sought to reassure residents, clarifying that only government officials — not contractual workers — will conduct the verification. 'No one has anything to get scared of. Verification of birth certificates is just a rule,' he said.

Broader Context: Electoral Roll Integrity Under Scrutiny

The crackdown is directly linked to the special intensive revision exercise aimed at weeding out fake voter registrations. Birth certificates are a primary document for establishing citizenship and age eligibility for voters, making their integrity central to the electoral process. This is notably one of the most sweeping administrative overhauls of civic-body powers in West Bengal in recent years, raising questions about the depth of the alleged racket and the duration over which fake certificates may have circulated. All eyes will now be on the pace and independence of the verification drive and whether it results in criminal prosecutions.