What happened
West Bengal has stopped elected panchayat and municipal representatives from issuing birth and death certificates. The state government says only designated government officials will issue these certificates after widespread irregularities were found during the previous regime.
Police raids on local-body offices across several districts, including Kolkata, formed part of the investigation into fake or irregular certificates. The state government is also preparing legislation to curb the financial powers of elected representatives in rural and urban local bodies.
Background and earlier position
Birth and death certificates are core civil-registration documents. They support identity proof, school admission, inheritance claims, pensions, passports, and access to public services. Local bodies have often been involved in issuance or certification, but such functions can become vulnerable to forged records, bribery, and political misuse when oversight is weak.
What changed now
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