Birth Certificate To Be Single Document For Key Services From October 1

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, which allows the use of a birth certificate as a single document for various purposes such as admission to educational institutions, obtaining a driving license, voter registration, obtaining an Aadhaar number, registering a marriage, securing a government job, and other purposes determined by the central government, is scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2023, which falls on a Sunday.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs officially announced this commencement date through a notification issued on September 13. This act aims to establish a national and state-level database of registered births and deaths, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and transparency of public services and social benefits through digital registration.

According to the notification, "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."

Both houses of Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, during the Monsoon Session last month. The Rajya Sabha approved the bill on August 7 through a voice vote, while the Lok Sabha had already passed it on August 1. Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, led the effort to amend the 1969 Act.

The amended Act grants authority to the Registrar General of India to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths. Chief Registrars (appointed by states) and Registrars (appointed by states for local areas) are mandated to share data of registered births and deaths with the national database. Each state's Chief Registrar is responsible for maintaining a similar database at the state level.

Previously, certain individuals were required to report births and deaths to the Registrar, such as the medical officer in charge of a hospital where a baby was born. The new Act expands this requirement to include providing the Aadhaar numbers of the parents and the informant in cases of births. This provision also applies to births occurring in jails (reported by the jailor) and in places like hotels or lodges (reported by the manager).

Furthermore, the amended legislation broadens the list of specified persons to include adoptive parents for non-institutional adoptions, biological parents for births through surrogacy, and single parents or unwed mothers in the case of a child's birth.

The Act stipulates that the national database may be shared with other authorities responsible for maintaining various databases, including population registers, electoral rolls, and ration cards. However, the use of the national database must be approved by the central government.

Similarly, the state database may be shared with authorities responsible for state-level databases, subject to approval from the state government. The Act also outlines an appeals process for individuals aggrieved by actions or orders of the Registrar or District Registrar, with specified time frames for resolution.