Ahead of the notification, both the Houses of Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Monsoon Session concluded last month.
New Delhi: From October 1, 2023, a birth certificate will be considered a single document for availing some of the crucial services including admission to an educational institution, issuance of a driving licence, preparation of voter list, Aadhaar number, registration of marriage, appointment to a government job.
While announcing the implementation of Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, the Home Ministry said that the initiative would help create a database of registered births and deaths which eventually would ensure efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits and digital registration.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 (20 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of October 2023, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification said
Ahead of the notification, both the Houses of Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Monsoon Session concluded last month.
The Rajya Sabha passed the bill by voice vote on August 7 while the Lok Sabha has passed it on August 1. The Bill, which sought amendment to the 1969 Act, was piloted by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The Act empowers the Registrar General of India to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths. The Chief Registrars (appointed by states) and Registrars (appointed by states for local area jurisdiction) will be obligated to share data of registered births and deaths to the national database. The Chief Registrar shall maintain a similar database at the state level.
Earlier, there was a requirement for certain persons to report births and deaths to the Registrar. For example, the medical officer in charge of a hospital where a baby is born must report the birth. The new Act adds that, in cases of births, the specified persons shall also provide the Aadhaar number of the parents and the informant. This provision also applies to the jailor in case of births in a jail, and the manager of a hotel or lodge in case of births in such a place.
Further, it expands the list of specified persons to include adoptive parents for non-institutional adoption, biological parents for births through surrogacy, and the parent in case of birth of a child to a single parent or unwed mother.
The new legislation states that the national database may be made available to other authorities preparing or maintaining other databases. Such databases include population register, electoral rolls, ration cards, and any other national database as notified. The use of the national database must be approved by the central government. Similarly, the state database may be made available to authorities dealing with other state databases, subject to state government approval.