Certificates distributed to tribespeople through ‘Perumai’ initiative

The Idukki district administration has launched a special initiative named “Perumai” to issue birth, death, and marriage certificates to the tribespeople of Edamalakkudy, the State’s first tribal panchayat. According to officials, an internal vigilance inquiry by Local Self Government department revealed that many residents in the tribal panchayat lacked birth, death, and marriage certificates, hindering school admissions and other government requirements. To resolve the issue, the district administration has introduced the drive to cover all eligible individuals.

Officials stated that trained volunteers visited tribal settlements to gather details on families lacking certificates, prepared their applications, and submitted them to the panchayat. The certificates were issued following verification by the village officer, with priority given to children born in the settlements and school students.

Devikulam Sub-Collector V.M. Arya noted that during the initial phase, 102 birth certificates and four death certificates were distributed by District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt on Tuesday. “Delayed registrations for births and deaths normally require approval from the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), but our office took special initiative to expedite the process. We aim to provide certificates to everyone in the village through the Perumai initiative,” the official said.

Officials highlighted that Aadhaar cards cannot be generated without a birth certificate. The lack of Aadhaar cards has severely affected local tribal children, preventing school admissions and access to government grants, as school authorities cannot register students on the State portal without them.

Dedicated camp

Ms. Arya added that the Revenue department will soon conduct a dedicated camp to issue Aadhaar cards to the tribespeople. “Once they receive their Aadhaar and birth certificates, tribal residents will be able to access scholarships and other government benefits,” she said.

Edamalakkudy village officer Syam G. Nath noted that nearly 100 additional birth and death certificates are currently under processing and will be distributed soon. “Our goal is to issue certificates to every resident in the village. This initiative is being carried out in association with the revenue, panchayat, and tribal welfare departments,” he said.

During his visit, Mr. Cheruvatt assured residents that the district administration will take all necessary steps to complete road construction in Edamalakkudy, along with the construction of the Njaval and Njandar bridges in the panchayat.