Birth And Death Registration

The Registrar General of India (RGI) cautioned both private and government hospitals to report all births and deaths within 21 days of occurrence.

About Registrar General of India (RGI)

It is a key office under the Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for collecting and managing vital population statistics.
It was established in 1949 by the Government of India.
Key Functions
- Conducts the Census of India, provides data on demographics, and carries out the Linguistic Survey of India to map the country’s language diversity.
- It also oversees the Civil Registration System (CRS) for births and deaths.

Civil Registration System (CRS)

Civil Registration System (CRS), popularly known as birth and death registration system, is the recording of vital events i.e. Birth, Death & Still Birth under the statutory provisions on a continuous and permanent basis.
CRS falls under the Concurrent list of the Constitution of India at Sl. No. 30.

Key Highlights of the Circular by RGI

Unregistered Births and Deaths: The circular revealed that nearly 10% of birth and death events still go unregistered in India, despite improvements in recent years.
Lack of Citizen-Friendly Procedures: The RGI noted that registrars often do not take adequate steps to simplify and expedite the registration process.
- Certificates should ideally be issued within 7 days.
Historical Registration Levels: As per RGI data, the registration level for births in 2011 was 82.4%, and for deaths, it was 66.4%. While the current rate has reached around 90%, full coverage has not yet been achieved.

About the Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Act, 1969

It is an Act to provide for the regulation of registration of births and deaths and for matters connected therewith.
Mandate: It mandates compulsory registration of all births and deaths in India.
Responsibility of the Registrar: Under Section 23(2) of the Act, registrars must register births and deaths; failure to do so can result in fines.
Launch of Centralised Portal: As of October 1, 2023, all registrations are to be conducted digitally via the Centre’s Civil Registration System portal.
- The digital birth certificate is now the only official document to prove date of birth for services like school admissions, job applications, marriage registration, etc.
Integration with NPR and Other Records: Birth and death data will help update the National Population Register (NPR), as well as documents like ration cards, electoral rolls, and property records.
The update to NPR is currently on hold, pending the next Census, which has been indefinitely delayed.
Role of Government and Private Hospitals:
- Government hospitals act as registrars under the CRS.
- Private hospitals are required to report events to the registrar in their jurisdiction rather than register them directly.

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