A board lists the eligibility criteria for getting a caste certificate at the block office. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, May 9: Believe it or not, students from the OBC category alone are not cashing in on the new quota system in higher education institutions. Some general category aspirants are also thriving on it, prompting a business boom for fake certificate arrangers.

Notwithstanding the East Singhbhum district administration’s instruction to issue caste certificates only after screening the application forms and related documents strictly, general category students often approach the vendors on the Dhalbhum sub-divisional office premises for caste certificates.

“Candidates first enquire if a caste certificate form is available. Subsequently, they request for an Other Backward Castes (OBC) certificate. Some of those who turn up for these certificates belong to the general category,” said Vinay Choubey, a form vendor.

Choubey, who has his stall on the Dhalbhum sub-divisional office premises, claimed that he earns good profit by selling forms for obtaining the caste certificates.

An application form for the certificate costs Rs 5. A genuine OBC candidate may have to pay up to Rs 400 for getting the formalities cleared by a vendor. But those from the general category have to cough up between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000. “The rush has risen after the recent verdict by the Supreme Court in favour of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in government institutes of higher studies,” Choubey added.

Another vendor, Rajendra Singh, seconded.

“While several of the clients are genuine candidates and want to procure caste certificates in advance in anticipation of utilising it in need, many do not belong to the OBC category. While some confess that they belong to the general category, others just try to lure us into selling them a caste certificate for a hefty sum,” he said.

A youth frantically looking for a caste certificate at the block development office confessed to The Telegraph that he was wrong, but argued that he had no other alternative in the present scenario. In his early-20’s, the youth said that he would compete for pre-medical entrance test in 2009 and an OBC certificate would help him get through.

Sunil Kumar, the block development officer of Jamshedpur, said a few forgery cases were registered against those obtaining caste certificates faking identity. He apprehended a spurt in forgery cases after the reservation for the OBCs.

“I have given strict instructions to my subordinates to be doubly sure and make physical verification of persons before processing applications for the caste certificate,” said Kumar. He said that necessary steps are being taken to stop malpractice related to issuance of caste certificates from his office.

“We will be stricter and meticulous in verifying the applications and the related documents submitted by candidates seeking a caste certificate,” added Kumar.