Archive · 4 Oct 2026
North Bengal Initiative Streamlines Government Documents for Children
A new program in Malbazar is meant to help children get important papers soon after they are born.
It is called PARICHAY.
First, officials help register the birth and get a birth certificate.
Then they help families apply for a child’s Aadhaar card.
Eligible children may also get help applying for a caste certificate.
Gram Panchayat workers can help families keep their papers online using DigiLocker.
Officials will check each child’s progress so families are not left to manage every step alone.
The program is being tested with 50 children before it is expanded.
The Mal subdivision administration launched PARICHAY in Malbazar, Jalpaiguri district, to help children obtain key government documents from birth.
The process begins with birth registration, with birth certificates issued at hospital discharge where possible and officials following up on pending cases.
Families will receive assistance with Baal Aadhaar enrolment and caste-certificate applications for eligible Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste children.
Gram Panchayat staff will also help parents use DigiLocker, while block and subdivision officers monitor progress.
A portal is tracking a trial involving 50 children, following a survey of tea-garden households in Mal, Matiali and Nagrakata blocks.
- Who
- The Mal subdivision administration, with support from Gram Panchayat personnel and block and subdivision officers.
- What
- PARICHAY, an initiative to coordinate children’s birth registration and assistance with other government documents.
- When
- Launched on Saturday; the article does not state a date.
- Where
- Malbazar in Jalpaiguri district, North Bengal; the baseline survey covered Mal, Matiali and Nagrakata blocks.
- Why
- To help families, particularly in tea gardens and tribal and Scheduled Caste communities, complete documentation without repeated trips to government offices.
Administration’s rationale
Families’ practical challenges
How documentation should be delivered
Administration’s rationale
The administration aims to bring services closer to families and coordinate the process from birth, with officials guiding applications and tracking progress.
Families’ practical challenges
Families in remote villages and tea gardens may otherwise need to travel repeatedly, pay travel and photocopy costs, and lose a day’s wages; the survey indicated that families valued documents but often needed guidance.
- Initiative
- PARICHAY
- Launch location
- Malbazar, Jalpaiguri district
- Trial size
- 50 children and their families
- Documents and support
- Birth Certificate, Baal Aadhaar, eligible caste certificates and DigiLocker assistance
- Monitoring
- A Block Nodal Officer reviews progress weekly; a Sub-Divisional Nodal Officer consolidates information and monitors the process
- Tracking
- A dedicated portal tracks each child’s progress
- Survey blocks
- Mal, Matiali and Nagrakata