New law empowers birth certificates for multiple services from October | Fusion - WeRIndia

Starting from October 1, 2023, citizens in India can utilize their birth certificates as a single document for various purposes.

These include admission to educational institutions, obtaining a driving license, registering for Aadhaar, marriage registration, and more.

This transformative change comes with the enactment of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on September 13, officially announcing the commencement of this Act.

The Act aims to establish a comprehensive national and state-level database of registered births and deaths.

This initiative is expected to streamline the delivery of public services and social benefits, enhancing transparency and efficiency in the process.

The Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, during the Monsoon Session last month.

The Lok Sabha approved the bill on August 1, while the Rajya Sabha approved it on August 7.

Union Minister of State for Home led the initiative to amend the 1969 Act.

The key provisions of the Act include empowering the Registrar General of India to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths.

State-appointed Chief Registrars and Registrars will be mandated to share this data with the national database while also maintaining similar databases at the state level.

Additionally, the Act introduces new reporting requirements, including the provision of Aadhaar numbers of parents and informants for births.

This requirement extends to births in institutions like jails or hotels. Furthermore, the Act expands the list of specified persons to include adoptive parents in non-institutional adoptions, biological parents in surrogacy cases, and single parents or unwed mothers.

The Act allows for the sharing of the national database with other authorities responsible for maintaining various databases, such as population registers, electoral rolls, and ration cards.

However, such usage must receive central government approval. Similarly, state databases may be shared with other state authorities with state government consent.

In cases of disputes or appeals, the Act establishes a mechanism for individuals to appeal decisions made by Registrars or District Registrars, with a timeframe of 30 days.

It allows them to file appeals within the stipulated time. Also, a 90-day window is open for decision issuance by the relevant authorities.

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