Kerala urges Centre to cut seven-year wait for death certificates of missing fishermen

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 14 (UNI) Kerala has urged the Centre to amend the existing law to reduce the seven-year waiting period for issuing death certificates to people missing at sea, Fisheries Minister V E Abdul Ghafoor told the state Assembly on Wednesday. Replying to questions raised by M Vincent and C R Manoj during Question Hour, the minister said the state government had formally approached the Centre seeking a legal amendment to shorten the mandatory period, which poses serious hardships for the families of missing fishermen. Under the existing provisions, a death certificate can be issued only after seven years of…