Introduction
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 provides for the regulation and registration of births and deaths. The registration of births and deaths falls under the Concurrent List, giving powers to both Parliament and state legislatures to make laws on the subject. Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 introduces a significant shift towards digital birth certificates. The law will allow the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission to an education institute, issuance of a driving licence, preparation of a voter list, Aadhaar number, Registration of marriage  or appointment to a government job.

Aims

  • To amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
  • Make the birth certificate the only conclusive age proof that can be used as a single document for numerous purposes.
  • To make birth certificates digital.
  • linking Aadhaardetails to birth certificates

Amendments in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969

Section 3 Digitalizes Birth Certificates
Section 3 makes it mandatory that the “Registrar General of India” will maintain database for registration of births and deaths. This section introduced the concept of digital birth certificate which are designed to be a comprehensive document that can be used for multiple works eliminating the need for several documents to establish a person’s birth information. Birth Certificate will be considered as single document for availing several 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 etc. Apart from birth certificates, the centralized database will also update the National Population Register (NPR), ration cards, and property registrations.

Section 8 talks about registration of birth and death
The Aadhaar details to facilitate registration in non-institutional adoption centres. The act provides for facilitating the registration process of adopted, orphan, abandoned, surrendered, surrogate child and child to a single parent or unwed mother and makes it mandatory for all medical institutions to provide a certificate as to the cause of death to the registrar and a copy of the same to the nearest relative.

Amendment of section 10.
Under this section, all medical institutions must provide free of charge a certificate of the cause of death, including the history of illness signed by the medical practitioner who attended that person, the Registrar in such form as may be prescribed and provide a copy of such certificate and a copy of the same has to provide to the nearest relative.

Issuance of Certificate of registration of births or deaths under Section 12
The Registrar must as soon as must do the registration of a birth or death, within 7 days that too free of charge provide certificate of birth or death electronically with his signature, to the person who gives information under section 8 or section 9, a extracted from the register in a manner as may be prescribed

Amendment of section 13
The Act provides for change of the ordering authority from magistrate of the first class or presidency magistrate to district magistrate or sub-divisional magistrate or an executive magistrate authorised by the district magistrate. In the case of delayed information of any birth or death to the registrar after one year of its occurrence shall be registered only on an order made by District Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate or by an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate, having jurisdiction over the area where the birth or death has taken place, after verifying the correctness of the birth or death and on payment of such fee as may be prescribed.

Insertion of new section 25A
Any person aggrieved by any order of the Registrar or District Registrar may appeal to the District Registrar or Chief Registrar, respectively. Such an appeal must be made within 30 days from receipt of such action or order. The District Registrar or Chief Registrar must give their decision within 90 days from the date of appeal.

Conclusion
Through these amendments a centralized database will be established to manage birth and death records, facilitating efficient service delivery and maintaining accurate and up-to-date information. The new amendments will help to avoid multiplicity of documents, It will provide for issuance of a passport, Aadhaar number etc., as determined by the central government to enhance the public convenience. This will also help to keep in pace with societal change and technological advancements there is a provision of digital registration.