Spelling difference in caste certificate: Minister orders changing it to Jatava

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government found that a difference in the English spelling of the Dalit social group 'Jatava' has created various difficulties for the people belonging to this community in Delhi. In the central government's list, it spells as "Jatava" whereas in the caste certificate issued by Delhi government's Revenue Department it spells as "Jatav". This difference wreaked havoc in the life of these people as they were denied to get various benefits. SC/ST Welfare Department Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam wrote to the Revenue Department to change the spelling.

"The matter relating to difference between the manner in which the caste name Jatav is mentioned in the Central List and the caste certificate issued by the Revenue Department of the Delhi government was taken up and discussed with some of the senior officers of the Revenue Departmentment in the meetings held in the past," Gautam wrote. He further wrote in the Central List name of caste in English has been spelt 'Jatav' whereas while issuing caste certificate Revenue Department of Delhi government spells it as 'Jatav'. "However, the caste name in Hindi in the Central List and caste certificate issued by Delhi government is same," he wrote.

Gautam added that this difference in the caste name in English created difficulties for the candidates belonging to that caste in getting the benefit of the reservation smoothly. "With a view to resolve the problem, I would advise the Revenue Department to henceforth start writing Jatav as Jatava in English in the issue of the certificates to the concerned applicants," the minister wrote.

Out of Delhi's 70 constituencies, 12 are reserved for scheduled caste candidates because of their dominant Dalit population. Jatava, Valmiki and other Dalit sub-castes account for 20 percent of Delhi's 12 million voters. Jatava is a social group that in India are considered to be a part of the Chamar caste, who are classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of positive discrimination. According to the 2011 Census of India, the Jatava community of Uttar Pradesh comprised 54 percent of that state's total 22,496,047 SC population. In Rajasthan, the Jatavas form 24 percent of the SC population.