Why in the News?
The Lok Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amending the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. It requires a Judicial Magistrate’s order for registration of births or deaths delayed by more than two years.
Key Provisions
- Judicial Approval: Delayed registration beyond 2 years requires approval from a Judicial Magistrate.
- Existing Process Retained: Delays up to 2 years continue to require approval from an Executive Magistrate.
- Objective: Strengthen verification and prevent fraudulent birth or death registrations.
Why was the Amendment Needed?
- The 2023 amendment made the birth certificate the primary proof of date and place of birth for: School admissions, Passports, Aadhaar, Voter rolls, Driving licences, and Government jobs
- Higher importance of birth certificates increased the risk of fraudulent registrations.
Significance
- Enhances authenticity of delayed registrations.
- Supports reliable digital civil registration records.
- Reduces misuse of birth certificates for identity fraud.
Challenges
- Judicial process may increase costs and delays for genuine applicants.
- Remote and vulnerable populations may face greater difficulty.
- Adds workload to the lower judiciary.
- No clear evidence supporting the two-year threshold.
Back2Basics
- Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969: Makes registration of every birth and death compulsory.
- Registrar General of India (RGI): Nodal authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- Concurrent List: Both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate on registration.
- 2023 Amendment: Birth certificate became the primary document for proving date and place of birth.
[2018] Consider the following statements:
1.Aadhaar can be used as proof of citizenship and domicile.
2.Once issued, the Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the issuing authority.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] 1 only
[B] 2 only
[C] Both 1 and 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2