The Lok Sabha has recently passed a significant amendment bill, the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, introducing digital birth certificates. These documents will serve a myriad of functions, from educational admissions to government applications.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Explained
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 aims to revise the Registration of Births and Deaths Act of 1969, which governs the regulation and registration of births and deaths. This area falls under the Concurrent List, granting both Parliament and state legislatures the power to legislate on the subject.
Key Features of the Bill
The bill presents several innovative features. One of the most noteworthy is the introduction of digital birth certificates. These are designed to serve as comprehensive documents for various purposes, thereby minimizing the requirement for multiple documents to establish birth details.
Moreover, the Bill suggests linking Aadhaar details of parents and informants to birth certificates and enlarges the range of Aadhaar inclusions to several reporting authorities such as medical officers and institutional managers.
Development of a Centralized Database
Under this Bill, a centralized database will be constituted to manage birth and death records. This system promises efficient service delivery and ensures reliable information. Besides birth certificates, the centralized database will also keep track of National Population Register (NPR), ration cards, and property registrations.
The Bill emphasizes making it mandatory for States to register births and deaths on the Centre’s Civil Registration System (CRS) portal and share the collected data with the Registrar General of India operating under the Union Home Ministry.
The Advantages of the New System
The proposed centralized database will optimize administrative efficiency by supplying a dependable, unified information source. Citizens will enjoy simpler access to various services like educational admissions and government jobs using a single digital birth certificate. This initiative aligns with India’s efforts to digitally transform, reflecting commitment towards refining administrative processes for improved citizen services.
Potential Challenges and Concerns
On the flip side, there are concerns that the Bill’s provisions might contravene constitutional rights like the right to education and privacy. Denying school admission due to lack of birth certificates could violate the fundamental right to education. There is an ongoing debate about finding the middle ground between capitalizing on technology for administrative efficiency and respecting the citizen’s right to privacy.
Transparency has been another area of concern, with critics scrutinizing the government’s data collection and usage approach. Many have suggested that digital birth certificates may unintentionally exclude individuals not having access to digital platforms, causing possible disparities in service access.
Critics also flagged that the Bill’s demands might not be compatible with the stipulations of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and other pertinent legislations.