The Union Home Ministry has recently announced plans to propose modifications to the Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Act, 1969. This announcement has brought focus onto issues associated with population management, government policies and interventions. The proposed bill is set to be introduced in the upcoming winter parliamentary session.
Proposed Amendments to the RBD Act
With the proposed amendments, birth certificates would become a compulsory document for various aspects of life including admission into educational institutions, inclusion in voter lists, appointments in Central and State government jobs, and the issuance of driving licenses and passports. Moreover, hospitals and medical establishments would be required to provide a copy of all death certificates, mentioning the cause of death, to the local registrar in addition to the deceased’s relatives.
According to the Civil Registration System (CRS) report, there has been an increase in the registration level of births from 82.0% in 2010 to 92.7% in 2019. Similarly, registered deaths have also seen a rise from 66.9% in 2010 to 92.0 % in 2019. The CRS is an online platform for the registration of births and deaths under the operational control of the Registrar General of India (RGI).
The Need for Changes in the Act
The drafted modifications could empower the Registrar General of India (RGI), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to maintain a national level database of registered birth and deaths. This database could be used to update the Population Register, Electoral Register, and the databases of Aadhar, ration card, passport and driving license.
If these proposed amendments are put into effect, the Centre could utilize this data to update the National Population Register (NPR), which was originally prepared in 2010 and later updated through door-to-door enumeration in 2015. With a database containing information of 119 crore residents, the NPR, as per the Citizenship Rules, 2003, serves as the first step towards the establishment of a National Register of Citizens (NRC).
About the Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Act, 1969
Since its enactment in 1969, the RBD Act has made it mandatory to register births and deaths in India. It is the responsibility of each State to register births and deaths, set up facilities for their registration and maintenance of records. To execute this act, a Chief Registrar is appointed in every State, and they are, in turn, assisted by several officials at district and lower levels. Coordinating and unifying the implementation of the RBD Act is the job of the Registrar General of India, who is appointed under this Act.
The proposed amendment to the RBD Act brings to light the importance of maintaining an accurate, nationwide record of births and deaths, aiding not just in population management but also various administrative and legal functions. It signifies a crucial move towards consolidating and utilizing demographic data for effective governance.