Birth Certificate Aadhaar: All you need to know about it is here!

A key shift announced by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs states that starting on October 1, 2023, birth certificates and Aadhaar won’t be necessary for basic services. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act of 2023 served as the impetus for these revisions, which aim to increase the efficiency and transparency of the delivery of public services. The Lok Sabha passed the legislation on August 1, 2023, while the Rajya Sabha did so on August 7, 2023, both by voice vote.

Birth Certificate Aadhaar

According to the authority granted by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023 (20 of 2023), the Central Government designated Birth Certificate Aadhaar the first day of October 2023 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall take effect. The Act grants the Registrar General of India the power to maintain a formal national registration of births and deaths that have been officially reported.

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Both Houses of Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 during the Monsoon Session that ended last month. Only birth certificates are needed for the construction of voter lists, the license application procedure, and appointments for government employment. The data on registered births, Aadhaar, and deaths will need to be sent to the national database by the Chief Registrars and Registrars, who are chosen by the states to have local area jurisdiction. The Chief Registrar is in charge of keeping a similar database at the state level.

What does this mean of Act?

The new Act will grant the Registrar General of India the power to keep a national births and deaths database that will be shared by chief registrars (appointed by states) and registrars (appointed by states for local area jurisdiction), who are responsible for researching the demographic survey of the country. A equivalent database will be maintained at the state level as well.

The list has been expanded to include specified individuals such as biological parents in circumstances of surrogacy births, adoptive parents in cases of non-institutional adoptions, and the parent in situations when a child is born to a single parent or an unmarried mother. According to the Act, the national database may be used for a variety of things, including population registrations, electoral rolls, and ration cards, with the approval of the central government.

How Birth Certificates Will Be Used?

Admission to Educational Institutions: Your birth certificate will be required starting on October 1 for school and college applications.
Driving License: Your birth certificate will be required documentation when you apply for a driver’s license.
Voter List Preparation: The creation of voter lists will include birth certificates.
Aadhaar Number: You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificate in order to get an Aadhaar number.
Marriage Registration: Your birth certificate must be provided in order to register your marriage.
Government Job Appointments: Your birth certificate will be important documentation if you want to get a job with the government.

Key Changes in the Act

National Birth and Death Registry: The Act establishes a national registry for births and deaths that will be managed by the Registrar General of India. At the state level, Chief Registrars and Registrars will maintain similar databases.

Reporting Requirements: In the past, reporting births and deaths was only the obligation of a select group of persons, such as medical professionals. The list now includes biological parents for surrogate births, single parents, and mothers who have never been married, as well as adoptive parents for out-of-institutional adoptions.

Sharing Data: With the central government’s approval, this feature enables designated organizations to access and exchange data from the national database, including election rolls and population registers. State-authorized entities may also have access to state databases in a similar way.

Procedure for Appeals: Anyone who disagrees with the decision or action of a registrar or district registrar has the right to file an appeal with the relevant chief registrar or district registrar within the first thirty days of receiving the order. The district registrar or the chief registrar must render a judgement following the filing of an appeal within ninety days.

Parliament’s Approval

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was adopted by both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, the two chambers of Parliament, during the Monsoon Session.