Karnataka to issue permanent residential certificates to facilitate SIR electoral roll revision

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Jun 30, 2026: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday announced that the state government will issue Permanent Residential Certificates to facilitate citizens’ participation in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference, Shivakumar said the certificates would be made available through both online and offline modes.

"Anyone seeking a Permanent Residential Certificate will be able to obtain it either online or offline," he said.

Following the announcement, the Revenue Department issued detailed guidelines stating that the Permanent Residential Certificate would serve as official proof of permanent residence in Karnataka.

Citizens can apply for the certificate online through the Seva Sindhu portal or at existing citizen service centres, including Atal Jana Snehi Kendras (Nadakacheris), Bengaluru One, Karnataka One and Grama One centres.

To facilitate the process, the government will also establish assistance centres across the state.

"We are setting up 49,320 facilitation centres in wards and polling booths to help citizens obtain the required documents," Shivakumar said.

He further noted that citizens who already possess caste certificates can download them digitally for use during the SIR process.

"Nearly 5.5 crore people have valid caste certificates, including 2.54 crore Other Backward Class (OBC) beneficiaries and 2.94 crore Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries. These certificates can be downloaded online, and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) will also assist citizens in obtaining them," he said.

Shivakumar urged voters to complete the enumeration forms that will be distributed by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) as part of the revision exercise.

"From Tuesday until July 29, BLOs will visit households to distribute the forms and will make up to three visits. The draft electoral rolls will be published on August 5. Those who fail to submit the forms risk losing their names from the voters’ list, which could lead to complications," he warned.

Emphasising the importance of voting rights, Shivakumar said, "The right to vote is the right to live."

He also claimed that similar verification exercises are being undertaken in other states.

"In West Bengal, authorities have initiated verification to identify and remove ineligible ration beneficiaries based on the SIR process. Similar measures are being adopted elsewhere. If you lose your voting rights, you could also lose access to various government benefits," he said.