The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 is set to take effect on October 1st, allowing the use of a birth certificate as a single document for various purposes such as admission to educational institutions, obtaining a driving license, voter list preparation, Aadhaar number registration, marriage registration, government job appointments, and other purposes determined by the central government.
The Act aims to establish a comprehensive national and state-level database of registered births and deaths, with the ultimate goal of improving the efficiency and transparency of public services and social benefits delivery through digital registration.
The announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in a notification issued on Wednesday. The notification 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 led the bill’s efforts to amend the 1969 Act. Both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill 2023 during the Monsoon Session. While the Rajya Sabha approved the bill through a voice vote, the Lok Sabha passed it on 1st August.
Under this Act, the Registrar General of India is empowered to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths. Chief Registrars (appointed by states) and Registrars (appointed by states for local areas) are responsible for sharing birth and death data with the national database. Each state is also required to maintain a similar database at the state level.
Previously, certain individuals were required to report births and deaths to the Registrar. For example, the Act now mandates that, in cases of births, the specified individuals must also provide the Aadhaar numbers of the parents and the informant. This requirement extends to the jailor in the case of births in a prison and the manager of a hotel or lodge in cases of births occurring in such establishments.