Birth certificates to become single document for Aadhaar, govt jobs from Oct

The proposed integration of birth certificates into a single document for Aadhaar and government job applications represents a commendable step towards modernizing administrative processes in India. By streamlining documentation requirements, this initiative has the potential to significantly enhance efficiency, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and ensure greater accuracy in official records. While challenges may arise during implementation, the benefits of this unified approach have the potential to revolutionize the way citizens interact with government services.

The new legislation will consolidate records of births and deaths across the country in a national database.

Birth certificates will now become a single-point document for citizens to avail a host of services including admission to educational institutions, marriage registration, issuance of drivers’ license, appointment to a government job among other purposes from October 1.

Announcing the date of implementing the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, Union home ministry on Wednesday said the new initiative will ensure ‘efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits and digital registration’.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 (20 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of October 2023, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification said.

• The new Act will empower the Registrar General of India, responsible for studying the demographic survey of the country, to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths which will be shared by chief registrars (appointed by states) and registrars (appointed by states for local area jurisdiction). A similar database will also be maintained at state level.
• The list has been expanded to include adoptive parents for non-institutional adoption, biological parents for births through surrogacy, and the parent in case of birth of a child to a single parent or unwed mother as specified persons.
• According to the Act, the national database may be used in other purposes including population register, electoral rolls, ration cards after the approval of the central government.
• Local database may be used by authorities dealing with other databases at state level, which is subjected to state governments’ approval.
• If a person is aggrieved by any action or order by registrars can appeal to them within 30 days of such order, and the concerned officials must give their decision within 90 days from the date of appeal.
• Earlier, a certain person was required to report births and deaths to the registrar. For example, the medical officer in charge of a hospital where a baby is born must report the birth. The new Act adds that, in cases of births, the specified persons shall also provide the Aadhaar number of the parents and the informant.