Database for Births and Deaths

Database for Births and Deaths

News: The Centre has proposed amendments to a 1969 law that will enable it to “maintain the database of registered birth and deaths at the national level”.

Proposed amendments by the Centre:
• It is proposed that the Chief Registrar (appointed by the States) would maintain a unified database at the State level and integrate it with the data at the “national level,” maintained by the Registrar General of India (RGI). The amendments will imply that the Centre will be a parallel repository of data.
• “Special Sub-Registrars” shall be appointed, in the event of disaster, with any or all of his powers and duties for on the spot registration of deaths and issuance of extract thereof, as may be prescribed.”
• The database may be used to update the Population Register and the electoral register, and Aadhaar, ration card, passport and driving licence databases after the amendment.
• Presently, the registration of births and deaths is done by the local registrar appointed by States.
• It would help update:
• Population Register prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955;
• Electoral registers or electoral rolls prepared under the Representation of the People Act, 1951
• Aadhaar database prepared under the Aadhaar Act, 2016;
• Ration card database prepared under the National Food Security Act, 2013;
• Passport database prepared under the Passport Act; and
• Driving licence database under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, and
• Other databases at the national level are subject to provisons of Section 17 (1) of the RBD Act, 1969