Project Porichoy has been launched in Malbazar, Jalpaiguri, to help families obtain birth certificates, Aadhaar and caste certificates for newborns through a single-window arrangement at the Malbazar Super Speciality Hospital. The pilot brings together the local administration, the health department and India Post to reduce the need for parents to visit multiple government offices.
The project was inaugurated on Saturday at the conference hall of the Malbazar Sub-Divisional Officer’s office by Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Aditi Choudhury. Malbazar Sub-Divisional Officer Utkarsh Khandel, along with Mal and Nagrakata MLAs Shukra Munda and Puna Bhengra, and other administrative officials, attended the launch.
Under the pilot, arrangements have been made to process several essential documents for newborns at one location. These include birth certificates, Aadhaar and caste certificates for children belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, according to the report by Sangbad Pratidin – Bengal.
The service is currently available at Malbazar Super Speciality Hospital. The administration plans to extend Project Porichoy to other hospitals in the subdivision in a subsequent phase. The report did not specify a timeline for that expansion or provide details of the number of applications the pilot is expected to process.
Malbazar is a tea-garden-dominated subdivision with a significant population of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. The administration said families in the area often face difficulties while arranging birth certificates, Aadhaar and caste certificates for newborns. Requiring parents to approach different offices can add travel, paperwork and coordination burdens, particularly for families living far from administrative centres.
The pilot is designed around coordination between institutions that handle different parts of the documentation process. The local administration is leading the initiative, while the health department and India Post are participating in service delivery. The project was developed at the initiative of Sub-Divisional Officer Utkarsh Khandel and has received attention within the administration as a pilot model.
During the inauguration, officials handed over documents prepared under Project Porichoy to the parents of several newborns. Parents John Munda and Malti Nagasia said the availability of the documents soon after birth would make the process more convenient for families.
The launch places the hospital at the centre of an administrative service that usually requires interaction with multiple departments. Its next stated milestone is the expansion of Project Porichoy from Malbazar Super Speciality Hospital to other hospitals across the subdivision.
