The Maharashtra Assembly onWednesday approved a bill to allow gram panchayat members to submit their caste validity certificates within a year of winning elections.State Rural Development Minister Hassan Mushrif said in the Assembly that only two days are left for filing of nomination papers for the gram panchayat elections.The bill, which was unanimously passed by the House, will ensure that the aspiring candidates are not barred from contesting the elections if they do not have a caste validity certificate, he said.At present, the rule is that a candidate will have to submit his/her caste validity certificate at the time of filing of nominations.The minister also said that the social justice and rural development departments were working on a comprehensive policy to expedite the process of providing the validity certificate to those having caste certificates.Meanwhile, during a debate on the bill, Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raimulkar alleged that a government official had demanded a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore for providing the caste validity certificate from him.To this, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit pawar said the official concerned will be suspended with immediate effect.
