Starting October 1, birth certificate of an individual can be used as the sole document for purposes such as admission to educational institutions, acquiring a driving license, voter list compilation, Aadhaar number issuance, marriage registration, or government job appointments.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday, issued a declaration in which the provisions of Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, will come into effect on October 1, 2023. This will help create a national and state-level database of registered births and deaths in order to 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.
Lok Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 last month, which was followed by Rajya Sabha giving its nod by voice vote on August 7. The bill was piloted by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai as an amendment to the 1969 Act.
Previously, certain individuals were obligated to report births and deaths to the Registrar. For instance, it was the responsibility of the medical officer overseeing a hospital where a newborn entered the world to report the birth. The newly enacted Act introduces a provision that mandates the specified individuals to also furnish the Aadhaar number of both the parents and the informant in cases of births. This requirement extends to the jailor in the event of births occurring within a correctional facility and the manager of a hotel or lodge in the case of births taking place in such establishments.
Additionally, the revised legislation broadens the scope of specified persons to encompass adoptive parents in situations involving non-institutional adoptions, biological parents for births resulting from surrogacy arrangements, and the single parent or unwed mother in cases of child births.
