The Bihar government has authorised Circle Officers to issue genealogical certificates to residents of urban areas, ending long-standing confusion over the competent authority for such documents. An order to this effect was issued on Wednesday by CK Anil, Principal Secretary of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department.
Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that urban residents had been facing difficulties due to the absence of a clear mechanism for issuing genealogical certificates. He said designating Circle Officers as the competent authority would ensure timely, transparent and easily accessible services for citizens.
Under the new initiative, citizens living within municipal limits will be able to obtain genealogical certificates from the Circle Officer of their respective circle areas. The arrangement has come into effect immediately and will remain valid until further notice, with provisions for review and amendment in the future.
Officials said that while genealogical certificates in rural areas are issued by Sarpanchs under guidelines of the Panchayati Raj Department, no such defined system existed for urban areas.
To address this anomaly, the Revenue and Land Reforms Department and the Urban Development and Housing Department worked jointly on the proposal, which was examined by the Advocate General and later approved by the Law Department.