Daltonganj: As many as 85% of undergraduate seats in govt medical colleges in Jharkhand require candidates to produce a residential certificate for admission.The residential certificate criteria issued by the Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (JCECEB) state that applicants must be “citizens of India”. However, unlike the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, where voters are required to prove their citizenship, MBBS aspirants are not required to submit any additional document for this purpose.Candidates only need to provide details of their date and place of birth, as well as their places of education, sources said.A candidate must be at least 17 years old, or attain the age by Dec 31 of the year of admission. They must also possess a local or permanent resident certificate.JCECEB has referred to the state govt’s Sankalp 3198, dated Aug 14, 2016, which “defined and identified” local and permanent residents of Jharkhand. Candidates are required to produce the certificate to establish their residency at the time of admission to educational institutions.Additional collector Kundan Kumar said the 2016 document refers to land revenue records such as registered deeds, records of rights and land revenue receipts.Principal of Medinirai Medical College Hospital here, Jakka Srinivas Rao, said residential certificates were subject to rigorous verification.“We are very careful,” Rao said, adding that equal care was taken while verifying other documents, including age proof certificates, Classes X and XII pass certificates and marksheets, NEET scorecards, caste certificates, disability certificates, and income and asset certificates for applicants seeking reservation under the economically weaker section (EWS) category.Sources said there was considerable scope for the “most vital certificates”, including residential certificates, to be forged.In 2025, a particular area in Hazaribag district came under scrutiny after two residential certificates issued there were found to be fake and forged, sources said.All mandatory certificates and documents undergo a second round of scrutiny and verification by the issuing officers and deputy commissioners within 10 days of a requisition being sent by medical colleges.
