Srinagar, Aug. 5 -- A few weeks ago, a young woman from North Kashmir visited a local government office. Her father, a government driver, had passed away suddenly. She wanted to apply for a job under the compassionate appointment rule, a system meant to support families after the death of a government employee. But before anything else, she was asked to prove she was really his daughter.

She pulled out her Aadhaar card. Her name matched her father's, so did the ration card. Yet, the official told her these weren't enough. What she needed was a Blood Relation Certificate.

That one paper would decide whether she would get the job, or whether her family would slip deeper into hardship.

In many parts of India, families are still close-knit...