Syllabus: GS2/ Governance, Health
Context
- The Civil Registration System (CRS), to register births and deaths is facing glitches that have led to delays in issuance of birth and death registration certificates.
Civil Registration System (CRS) App
- The mobile app, prepared by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (Ministry of Home Affairs), is expected to significantly reduce the time required for the registration of births and deaths.
- According to the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, all reported births and deaths in the country occurring from October 1, 2023 are to be digitally registered.
- The digital birth certificates will be a single document to prove the date of birth for various services such as admission to educational institutions, government jobs and marriage registration.
- The centralized database will also help update the National Population Register (NPR), ration cards, property registration and electoral rolls.
| National Population Register (NPR) – NPR is the first step to the creation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), as per the Citizenship Act. – NPR, first collected in 2010 and updated in 2015 through door-to-door enumeration, already has a database of 119 crore residents. |
Challenges in Implementation
- Delayed Reporting by Hospitals: Hospitals and healthcare institutions are not uploading data in real time, causing bottlenecks.
- Technical Glitches: The digital system requires seamless integration across states and facilities, which is not yet fully operational.
- Training Issues: Local registrars and hospital staff require digital training and infrastructure support to ensure accurate reporting.
Way Ahead
- Data Privacy: Robust cybersecurity measures must be put in place to protect sensitive data shared across multiple databases.
- Monitoring: Periodic audits and accountability mechanisms for non-reporting or delayed reporting institutions.
- Strengthening Institutional Capacity: Training programs for hospital administrators and registration officials on digital platforms.
| The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 – The act was amended to the Registration of Birth and Death Act 1969. – Database of births and deaths: The Registrar General, India (who may issue general directions for registration of births and deaths) will maintain a national database of registered births and deaths. 1. The Chief Registrars (appointed by states) and Registrars (appointed by states for local area jurisdiction) will be obligated to share data of registered births and deaths to the national database. – Connecting database: The national database may be made available to other authorities preparing or maintaining other databases. Such databases include: National Population Register (NPR), electoral rolls, ration card, and any other national databases as notified. – Use of birth certificate: The digital birth certificates issued under this system will become a single document to prove the date of birth for various services, 1. admission to an educational institution, 2. preparation of voter lists, 3. appointment to a government post, and 4. any other purpose determined by the central government. – Digital records: All reported births and deaths in the country are to be digitally registered. |
Source: TH
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