Government Mandates Separate Recording of Parents' Religion in Childbirth Registration

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has instituted Model Rules mandating the individual recording of parents’ religion during the registration of a child's birth.

This significant change from the prior practice, where only the family’s religion was noted, requires parents to specify the religion of both the child’s father and mother in the proposed “Form No.1-Birth Report.” These rules extend to parents of adopted children and await adoption and notification by State governments.

In line with the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, passed by Parliament on August 11 last year, the national maintenance of birth and death data is now compulsory. This data is pivotal and may be utilized to update various official records, including the National Population Register (NPR), electoral rolls, Aadhaar numbers, ration cards, passports, driving licenses, property registrations, and other databases as necessary.

From October 1 last year, the government has mandated the digital registration of all reported births and deaths in the country through the Civil Registration System portal, operated by the Centre (crsorgi.gov.in). The resultant digital birth certificates will serve as a universal document for verifying birthdates across different services, including educational institution admissions.

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has proposed the replacement of existing forms related to birth, death, stillbirth, adoption, and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) with updated versions.

Notably, the MCCD will now include information on any history of illness in addition to the primary cause of death.

Each birth register comprises two sections: one for legal information and the other for statistical data. The recording of parents’ religion falls under the statistical information category. Enhancements to the legal information section of birth register forms now include fields for Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, and email addresses of both parents, alongside comprehensive address details.

Moreover, informants providing information are now required to furnish their Aadhaar and mobile numbers, along with an email address, in addition to previously required name and address details.

In compliance with the 2023 amendment, the Registrar General of India (RGI) is responsible for maintaining a national database of registered births and deaths. Chief Registrars and Registrars are mandated to share data on registered births and deaths with this central database.

Empowered by the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, the RGI coordinates and streamlines the activities of Chief Registrars appointed by State governments. Civil Registration System (CRS) functionaries are designated up to the panchayat level.

The data collected through the CRS is utilized to compile the annual "Vital Statistics of India" report, which offers critical information on indicators such as sex ratio at birth, infant mortality, stillbirths, and overall mortality rates at the national level. This data serves as a cornerstone for government decision-making in socio-economic planning, evaluating social sector programs, and bolstering the public health system in India.