Eligible PSU employees could get OBC non-creamy layer certificates

The Commissionerate of Revenue Administration (CRA) has instructed the District Collectors to duly sensitise authorities over issuing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer certificate to eligible wards of employees serving in public sector undertakings (PSUs).

Earlier, wards of all employees serving in PSUs were excluded. With the fresh guidelines issued this month, the wards of employees of PSUs and State PSUs (who are not in Groups A and B) would be eligible to get OBC non-creamy layer certificates.

The communication was issued in the light of concerns over the difficulty in obtaining OBC certificates for the sons and daughters of employees in PSUs, as there was a lack of clarity over the income criteria.

“We had raised the issue with authorities. The communication issued in August 2021 led to the confusion. Now, the circular issued earlier this month has clarified that the guidelines issued in July 2021 will continue,” said G. Karunanidhy, member of the Tamil Nadu government-constituted Social Justice Monitoring Committee said.

While the communication issued in July 2021 said the salary or agricultural income was not to be taken into account to calculate the income criteria, the eventual communication issued in August that year gave a broad sense leading to ambiguity.

The CRA’s circular dated April 2 to Collectors followed a communication from the Tamil Nadu government’s Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Department seeking suitable guidelines to certificate-issuing authorities in this regard.