Telangana considers Karnataka PRC model to help residents during electoral revision
Hyderabad: Telangana Government may set up a cabinet sub-committee to study the Karnataka PRC model, Advisor to the Telangana Government Mohammed Ali Shabbir said on Monday. He said he had urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to introduce a Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) for long-term residents facing documentation issues during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Chief Minister discussed the proposal with senior officials, Shabbir Ali said. He added that the government may ask the panel to examine Karnataka’s system and suggest a suitable framework for Telangana. The proposed PRC could help residents whose names or family records do not appear in the 2002 electoral rolls.
Shabbir Ali said officials do not seek documents during the house-to-house collection of enumeration forms. However, electoral authorities may later issue notices to voters who cannot link their names to the 2002 rolls. Those voters may then have to submit supporting records.
Karnataka PRC model for electoral verification
The Election Commission includes a Permanent Residence Certificate in its indicative list of documents for verification. Therefore, a PRC issued after government verification could support eligible voters during the verification process.
Shabbir Ali said the certificate could help young voters who were not eligible in 2002. It could also assist women whose names changed after marriage. Families that shifted between districts or constituencies could also benefit. Residents whose names differ because of spelling or transliteration errors may also find the certificate useful.
Karnataka system allows flexible verification
Shabbir Ali said Karnataka issues the certificate after revenue officials verify an applicant’s permanent residence. Officials examine all available evidence instead of relying on a single document. They may consider birth records, school certificates, property documents, electoral records, Aadhaar, ration cards, government service records and other reliable evidence. They may also conduct local enquiries when records remain incomplete.
He said the Karnataka PRC model could reduce hardship for genuine residents who lack one document but possess several records proving their long association with the State.
He said the proposal aims to protect genuine residents whose names or family records cannot be traced in electoral rolls prepared nearly 25 years ago.
“A properly designed PRC system could provide people with a current, government-verified residence document while allowing the authorities to conduct all necessary checks. It could reduce the documentation burden without diluting the verification process,” Shabbir Ali said.
He said the proposed cabinet sub-committee could study the Karnataka framework and recommend a system that suits Telangana’s legal and administrative requirements.
