Registration of births and deaths simplified in Haryana

Chandigarh, Nov 22 (UNI) The Haryana Government has simplified the process of registration of births and deaths in the state so as to make it more people friendly.

Now registration forms have been made available at every Anganwadi centre and Anganwadi workers will collect copy of the certificate, duly signed by the Registrar, from the Primary Health Centre (PHC) and deliver it to the concerned family.

Stating this here today, Health Services Director General, Dr (Mrs) Avinash Sharma said that the birth and death certificates would be issued free of cost and the record would be maintained at the respective PHCs.

She said that in case the form was submitted at the Anganwadi centre within 21 days of the occurrence of birth or death or late at the PHC, it would be also processed in due time.

She said that efforts were being made to ensure that even the duplicate certificates be made available at the PHCs from the old record, which previously were available only at the district headquarters.

Dr Sharma said that the Health Department had issued necessary guidelines in this regard to all the functionaries concerned in the districts and directed them to ensure wide publicity of the new guidelines. These guidelines have also been posted on the Department's website www.haryanahealth.nic.in She said that Haryana was one of the first states in the country where registration of births and deaths had been undertaken by the Health Department.

Previously, police stations were the registration centers and Station House Officers used to be the Registrars as per the practice. It was from January, 2005 that the system of registration in rural areas was revamped and registration was now being done by the Haryana Health Department.

As a result of this change, the birth and death registration (also called Civil Registration System) has increased to 92.1 per cent from 78 per cent. One of the foremost reasons for this increase was that now registration was being done at the door-steps of the villagers, she added.

UNI