National Desk, 15th September: In a groundbreaking development, the Birth Certificate will soon become the sole document necessary for a multitude of crucial services in India, including admission into educational institutions, obtaining a driving license, registering for Aadhaar numbers, marriage registration, and more, all set to take effect from October 1, 2023.
This monumental change is the result of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, which is poised to revolutionize how essential services are accessed and administered in the country. The Act’s primary objective is to establish a comprehensive national and state-level database for registered births and deaths. This digital infrastructure is expected to enhance the efficiency and transparency of public service delivery and social benefits.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) made this groundbreaking announcement, declaring October 1, 2023, as the commencement date for the Act’s provisions. This move is a significant step towards creating a unified national and state-level database for births and deaths, which will ultimately ensure the seamless and transparent provision of public services and social benefits through digital registration processes.
The MHA stated, “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.”
Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, played a pivotal role in spearheading the amendment to the 1969 Act. Under this progressive Act, the Registrar General of India will be authorized to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths. Chief Registrars and Registrars will collaborate in sharing birth and death data with the national database, while each state will also be required to maintain a similar database at the state level.
This significant shift towards a unified birth certificate as a universal ID document is poised to simplify and streamline various administrative processes, heralding a new era of efficiency and transparency in India’s public services.