India, Sept. 18 -- Two weeks after the state issued a government resolution (GR) to implement the Hyderabad Gazette and enable Marathas to get Kunbi (Other Backward Class) certificates, the administrations of eight Marathwada districts began distributing the documents as part of the Seva Pandharavada (Service Fortnight) kicked off on PM Narendra Modi's birthday. Meanwhile, more applications from Marathas have begun pouring in.

The state government had planned the service fortnight primarily to clear rural citizens' applications for revenue department services such as issuing certificates to resolve land disputes and regularise housing encroachments among other things. The Marathwada districts, where the Kunbi certificate issue is the mos...