{"id":45833,"date":"2025-10-27T08:55:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T03:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45833"},"modified":"2025-10-30T11:15:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T05:45:11","slug":"status-of-birth-death-registration-in-india-key-reforms-challenges-digital-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/status-of-birth-death-registration-in-india-key-reforms-challenges-digital-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Status of Birth and Death Registration in India: Key Reforms, Challenges, and Digital Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Birth and Death Registration in India Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Gaps in Registration<\/li>\n<li>Responsibility for Registration Under the Civil Registration System (CRS)<\/li>\n<li>Centralised Portal for Birth and Death Registration<\/li>\n<li>Concerns Raised by the RGI<\/li>\n<li>Vital Statistics Report Not Published Since 2020<\/li>\n<li>Birth and Death Registration in India FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Birth and Death Registration in India Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Recently, the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/registrar-general-of-india-rgi\/\" target=\"_blank\">Registrar General of India (RGI)<\/a>, under the Union Home Ministry, issued a circular directing private and government hospitals to report births and deaths within 21 days.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The move came after it was found that many medical institutions were violating this legal requirement, prompting action by the Vital Statistics division.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Gaps in Registration<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Registrar General of India (RGI) issued a circular on March 17 noting that around 10% of births and deaths in India are still not registered.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>While 90% registration has been achieved, the goal of 100% universal registration remains unmet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Progress Since 2011<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the RGI, the registration level in 2011 was 82.4% for births and 66.4% for deaths, indicating significant progress over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Legal Provisions and Penalties<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Act, 1969\u2014amended in 2023\u2014makes it mandatory to register all births and deaths.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Under Section 23(2), registrars who are negligent in performing their duties may face fines, which have been increased from \u20b950 to up to \u20b91,000.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Responsibility for Registration Under the Civil Registration System (CRS)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Under the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/civil-registration-system-crs-portal\/\" target=\"_blank\">Civil Registration System (CRS)<\/a>, governed by the Registrar General of India (RGI), government hospitals act as registrars for births and deaths.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Private hospitals are required to report such events to the designated registrar so that certificates can be issued to the families.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Role of State Authorities and Departments<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The RBD Act empowers the RGI to coordinate with Chief Registrars appointed by State governments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Registration duties vary across States:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Health Departments<\/strong> manage registration in States\/UTs like Assam, Chandigarh, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, and the Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Panchayat Departments<\/strong> handle it in Kerala.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Directorate of Economics and Statistics<\/strong> manages it in Bihar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Centralised Digital Registration System<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Following the 2023 amendment to the RBD Act (effective from October 1, 2023), all births and deaths in India must be digitally registered through the Centre\u2019s Civil Registration System portal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Chief Registrars and Registrars are mandated to share this data with the Central database maintained by the RGI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Centralised Portal for Birth and Death Registration<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>From October 1, 2023, all births and deaths in India must be registered digitally through a central portal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This ensures uniformity, transparency, and seamless integration across government services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Digital Birth Certificate as a Key Document<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The digital birth certificate is now the <strong>sole official document<\/strong> to prove date of birth for various purposes, including:\n<ul>\n<li>School admissions<\/li>\n<li>Government job applications<\/li>\n<li>Marriage registration<\/li>\n<li>Obtaining passports and Aadhaar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Integration with National Databases<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The data from the central portal will be used to update key records such as:\n<ul>\n<li>National and State Population Registers (NPR)<\/li>\n<li>Ration cards<\/li>\n<li>Property registrations<\/li>\n<li>Electoral rolls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Foundation for NPR and NRC<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The centralized registration system feeds into the National Population Register (NPR), which has a database of 119 crore residents.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The NPR, updated in 2015, is seen as a precursor to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).<\/li>\n<li>Each resident\u2019s information is linked through a unique registration number, connecting documents like Aadhaar and birth certificates \u2014 starting from birth, thereby creating a unified digital identity trail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Concerns Raised by the RGI<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Delayed Registration by Hospitals<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The RGI observed that some hospitals delay the registration process, waiting for family members to approach them instead of registering birth or death events proactively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Non-Compliance by Private Hospitals<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Several private hospitals have been found to completely avoid reporting such events to the designated registrar.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Instead, they direct families to handle the registration themselves, violating legal obligations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of Citizen-Friendly Services<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The RGI also flagged that some registrars fail to make the registration process user-friendly.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It emphasized the need for timely issuance of birth and death certificates, ideally within <strong>seven days<\/strong> of the event.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Vital Statistics Report Not Published Since 2020<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Vital Statistics of India<\/strong> report, which provides key national-level data on infant mortality, stillbirths, and deaths, has not been published since 2020.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This delay hampers the government\u2019s ability to conduct effective socio-economic planning and evaluate social sector programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Importance of the Report<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Compiled from State-level data, the report is crucial for public health planning and assessing the impact of various welfare schemes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It acts as a foundational document for health-related policy-making in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Status of State-Level Reporting<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>While several States and UTs like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mizoram, Goa, and Arunachal Pradesh have released their reports till 2022, Kerala\u2019s last available report is from 2021.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Mizoram is the only State to have released its report for 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Trends in Registered Births (2020 Report)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the last published report (2020):\n<ul>\n<li>Registered births dropped from <strong>2.48 crore in 2019<\/strong> to <strong>2.42 crore in 2020<\/strong>, a decline of about <strong>2.4%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Most States saw a dip in registered births, except Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, and Ladakh.<\/li>\n<li>Interestingly, the level of Death registration increased from 76.4 lakh in 2019 to 81.2 lakh in 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Birth and Death Registration in India FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the Civil Registration System (CRS) in India?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The CRS records all births and deaths, with designated hospitals and registrars responsible under the Registrar General of India (RGI).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why was a centralized portal launched for registration?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The centralized portal ensures digital, uniform registration of births and deaths and integrates with databases like NPR, Aadhaar, and electoral rolls.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What are RGI\u2019s concerns about registration delays?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Hospitals delay registrations or avoid reporting; registrars often fail to offer user-friendly, timely services for citizens.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> What legal changes were made under the RBD Act 2023?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The amended Act mandates digital registration and increases penalties for non-compliance by registrars and medical institutions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> Why is the Vital Statistics Report important?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It provides national data on births and deaths, essential for policy, planning, and evaluating social sector programs and health outcomes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/private-government-hospitals-must-register-births-and-deaths-within-21-days-rgi\/article69428102.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/dc.crsorgi.gov.in\/crs\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CRS<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore India&#8217;s digital birth and death registration system, RGI directives, centralized portal, and gaps in data reporting since 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}