Mumbai, Nov 27 (PTI) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday ordered an immediate crackdown on illegally obtained birth and death certificates across the state, directing officials to cancel all suspicious entries and lodge police complaints without delay.

The action follows a high-level meeting with senior home and revenue department officials, Bawankule's office said in a statement.

"The government will not tolerate bogus certificates. Any birth or death certificate issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card, or found to be suspicious, must be cancelled immediately and a police complaint should be filed," Bawankule said.

In a circular issued during the day, the revenue department outlined an action plan instructing tehsildars, sub-divisional officers, district collectors and divisional commissioners to scrutinise records based on 16 parameters.

The move comes amid concerns over certificates issued using forged or inadequate documents.

All birth and death certificates issued by naib tehsildars after the amendment dated August 11, 2023, will be withdrawn and cancelled, the circular said.

"Certificates issued solely on the strength of an Aadhaar card will be treated as defective, as the document cannot be accepted as proof of birth or place of birth under Central guidelines. District collectors and divisional commissioners must hold special drives and dispose of pending cases through dedicated camps," the circular specified.

Officials have also been directed to initiate criminal proceedings wherever discrepancies are found between the information in applications and the date of birth mentioned on Aadhaar cards.

Beneficiaries who fail to return original certificates or cannot be traced will be listed and declared "absconding", with local police asked to register FIRs against them, it added.

Bawankule said several cities and talukas have emerged as hotspots for dubious birth and death records.

"These include Amravati, Sillod, Akola, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, Latur, Anjangaon Surji, Achalpur, Pusad, Parbhani, Beed, Gevrai, Jalna, Ardhapur and Parli. Tehsildars and district collectors in these regions have been asked to conduct thorough inspections," the statement quoted the minister as saying.

The statement noted that while the health department handles registrations within the first year, entries older than that are processed by the revenue department.

However, widespread misuse through forged documents has prompted the government to undertake a comprehensive review and withdrawal of fraudulent certificates, Bawankule added. PTI ND BNM

Illegal birth and death certificates targeted for cancellation and police action under tightened verification rules. Administrative directive mandates cancellation of birth and death certificates issued solely on the basis of Aadhaar or found defective, initiation of criminal proceedings where application data conflicts with Aadhaar dates, and listing of untraceable beneficiaries as absconding with FIRs to be registered; officials must scrutinise records using 16 parameters and conduct special drives and camps to withdraw certificates and clear pending cases in identified hotspots.