CET date extension is just a sham, extended by only 48 hours. Who is responsible for this torture?
Failure of Saral Portal: Playing with the future of Haryana’s youth. Where to get the certificate from?
The situation in Haryana today is not creating a digital India but a torture India. A situation where lakhs of candidates are unable to get their caste certificate, residence certificate and income certificate due to the Family ID and Saral portal. Without which they can neither fill government forms, nor apply for scholarships, nor participate in the job process.
The dream of “Digital India” was to show that the lives of citizens would become easier. Government services will be available at home, lines will end, transparency will increase, and every child, every student, every youth will move towards a self-reliant India. But the situation in Haryana today is such that not Digital India but Torture India is being created there. A situation where, due to Family ID and Saral Portal, lakhs of candidates are not able to get caste certificate, residence certificat,e and income certificate. Without which they can neither fill government forms, nor apply for scholarships, nor join the job process. This is not just a technical problem; it is a question of the future of lakhs of youth.
Family ID – Convenience or Trap?
The family ID created by the Haryana government was introduced in the name of “One State, One Family, One Record”. But its technical flaws have left thousands of families helpless. Many candidates have wrong names or birth dates recorded in their family IDs. In some families, the number of members is wrongly recorded, while in some, dead people are still shown as alive. The names of the mothers of the children are missing, and sometimes the caste information is shown as “not available”. The government has given orders – “Those who are not in the family ID are not in the government facility”. But who will correct that ID? And when?
Not a simple portal, the most difficult platform!
Saral Portal was launched to make citizen services available online. But contrary to the name, this portal is neither simple nor smooth. It does not log, or log out repeatedly. OTP either does not come or comes late. Document upload fails at 99%. For an appointment slot, students remain glued to the website from morning to evening for 5-6 days. If a student has to sit in front of the computer for 7-8 days to fill a form, then when will they study? How will he avoid mental stress?
CET dates extended, but where to get the certificate from?
By extending the CET form date, the government has shown that it cares about students. But the question is, when caste and domicile certificates are not being made, how can students fill the form? There are thousands of students whose age limit is on the last attempt. OBC/SC/ST students cannot fill out the form in the general category without a certificate. Many students may be deprived of the benefits of a scholarship or reservation. The government has to understand that just extending the date is not a solution unless the basic structure of the system is destroyed.
Who is responsible for this torture?
When a student is upset, he takes his complaint to social media. Some media channels raise their voice. But when the minister or the department head shrugs off the responsibility by saying that “the portal is fine, everything is exaggerated” — then it becomes clear that either they are disconnected from ground reality, or have deliberately turned a blind eye. Nayab Saini ji, have you ever opened the Saral portal yourself and seen how it works? Have you talked to those students whose age, exam and dream were snatched away due to the delay of this portal?
Question of millions of youths – when will the system improve?
Why do such problems arise again and again in Haryana? In other states, students fill out the forms without any technical problems. The portals there work properly, data is saved, and the government system cooperates. But in Haryana, digital portals have become a mental torture house. The government says, “We will end unemployment.” But the question is – “Will we also provide an opportunity to get a job?”
What could be the solutions?
There should be an emergency repair of the Saral portal. The technical team should be ordered to monitor the portal 24×7. If necessary, help should be taken from agencies like IIT or NIC. The family ID update process should be restarted with faster and offline options. Pendency should be removed by organizing special camps in the districts. The last date for making all certificates should be fixed before the CET form so that students can prepare the documents first. There should be a grievance redressal system where students can register complaints individually and get timely solutions. Political will should be shown; do not just make promises of giving “unemployment allowance” by putting up pictures of youth at the time of elections, but improve the system.
This is not just a technical failure, but a moral failure
The real test of the government is when the citizens are in trouble. Lakhs of students, farmers, the poor, and labourers of Haryana – all are trapped in this web of portals.
If the future of even one student is ruined because he could not get a certificate, it should be a matter of shame for any sensitive government. “Digital India” does not mean digital exploitation. The government will have to take responsibility.
