The Central Government has stepped up efforts to stop fraud in birth and death registrations across the country.
The Office of the Registrar General of India has written to the Chief Secretaries of all states, asking them to strictly implement the rules related to birth and death registration.
State and district-level monitoring committees have also been directed to hold regular meetings and closely monitor the registration process.
Birth Certificate After One Year? Approval Now Mandatory
A major rule has been introduced for delayed birth registrations. From now on, if a child’s birth certificate is being issued after the age of one year, it will require approval from the District Magistrate (DM), a magistrate nominated by the DM, or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
Earlier, this approval was required only if the birth certificate was being issued after 10 years. The new rule makes the process much stricter to prevent misuse.
Officials said the states had already been informed about these changes a few months ago, but implementation remained weak. The Registrar General’s office has now sent another letter asking states to enforce the rules without delay.
The government has also reminded private hospitals that they must report every birth and death to the concerned registrar within 21 days.
Fake Registration Centres Under Scanner
The government has also ordered states to identify fake or suspicious registration units. Centres showing an unusual rise in registrations will now be investigated.
To prevent fraud, Deputy Commissioners have been asked to run awareness campaigns and ensure that registration units never share their login credentials or OTPs with anyone.
Authorities have also been instructed to carefully verify old handwritten birth certificates before converting them into digital records.
For digitisation, officials must first match the certificate with the original birth and death register, upload the relevant register page, and send it to the district registrar. The certificate will be digitised only after receiving official approval.
Questions Raised Over Home Birth Registrations
The role of Anganwadi workers in home birth registrations has also come under scrutiny. In many cases, birth certificates for children born at home are issued only after verification by an Anganwadi worker.
This has raised an important question: why is the Health Department not informed immediately by the birth attendant after a home delivery?
Experts believe that if district authorities conduct a fair investigation into these cases, a major fraud could be uncovered.
Following reports of irregularities in home birth registrations, the Health Department has also become alert and is preparing to investigate the matter.
