Civil Registrations – Servicing Digitally
Birth registration is a fundamental step towards good governance and a vital element in the fostering of democratic processes. Not only does the process of registration allow effective administration and bring children to the notice of decision-makers, it is the official and positive recognition of a new member of society, who is entitled to all the rights and responsibilities of a valued citizen. It helps government in planning of various schemes. Similarly, Death and Marriage Registrations are equally importance for the citizens to get the various benefits of government and for the planning on the part of government for various schemes.
Multiple benefits of Civil Registration are observed for citizens and government. Birth Registration required for the admission in school, addition of name in electoral rolls, Obtaining Driving License, Ration card, Aadhaar Cards, Passport etc.; Death Registration required for Settlement of Pension or Insurance cases, Settlement of Property claims, Mutations in Land Records, deletion of name in electoral rolls etc.; Marriage registration is required for Settlement of minor/major related issues, Obtaining Passport, Property & inheritance issues, claiming bank deposits or insurance related benefit to a spouse after the death of the insurer etc.
It is mandatory in the Registration of Births & Deaths Act, 1969 to register every birth/stillbirth and death with the concerned state/UT Government within 21 days of its occurrence. The Government accordingly has provided for well-defined system for registration of Birth, with the Registrar General at the centre and the Chief Registrars in the States, running through District Registrars and Registrars to the Panchayats and Town Registrars at the periphery. All Government Hospitals/PHC/CHC are Sub Registrars to register events occurred in their institution under the act. Registration of Marriage is according to the rules framed by states. For example, In Rajasthan, Registration of Registration of Marriage is under Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Act 2009.
Functionaries
- Registrar: Registers the Birth/Death/Still Birth and Marriage events and issue certificates. May perform correction after approval by District Registrar. Provides copy of certificate and generate progress reports. Enters the events in Register without any fees.
- Sub Registrar: Appointed by chief registrars with the registration power of registrars of their area. Registers Birth/Death/Still Birth events only within 21 days of the events and issue certificates. After 21 days, registration can only be done by respective Registrar. Also generates progress reports.
- District Registrar: Responsible for the execution of acts and instructions of chief registrars. Monitoring of events within district jurisdiction. Authority to approve modifications in the registration send by any registrar. Generate MIS reports.
- Chief Registrar: Executive authority in the state for carrying into execution the provisions of Act and the rules and orders. Overall responsibility of Birth/Death/Still Birth events in the state. Can propose any modification in the registration rules to government and issue notifications. Generate MIS reports and various vital Statistics. Responsible for the implementation of RBD Act in the state.
- Registrar-General, India: The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint a person to be known as the Registrar-General, India. Issues general directions regarding registration of births and deaths in the territories to which this Act extends, and shall take steps to co-ordinate and unify the activities of Chief Registrars in the matter of registration of births and deaths.
To overcome the problem of timely registration, delayed consolidation of information which defeats the very purpose of registration and to introduce the transparency in the registration process, Civil Registration System, Pehchan is being introduced in Rajasthan. The web based application reaches right upto grass root level i.e. Gram Panchayat which is within the comfortable reach of every rural citizen. The web application aims to reduce information gap between Registrar and Government and to reach the un-reached digitally. It also serves by building up the capacity of the Panchayat for prompt and responsive e-service delivery.
Key Benefits of Digitization
- Uniform process of Registration.
- Transparency in Civil Registration System.
- Minimized duplicity of Registration.
- Maintenance of Centralised Registration Database, which may be used for analysis purposes.
- Availability of various MIS reports at Block, District & State level.
- Citizen may apply online for Registration.
- Issuance of Digitally Signed Certificates.
- Online search Registration facility for citizens.
- Speedy Issuance of Certificates.
- Availability of various Vital Statistics.
- Bilingual Registration certificate.
- Uniform Registration certificate in the state.
- No requirements of Pre-printed stationary.
- No requirements of Pre-printed stationary.
- Online availability Circulation of instructions, notifications etc.
References:
- Registration of Birth and Death(RBD) Act 1969
- Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Act 2009
- https://censusindia.gov.in
- https://pehchan.raj.nic.in
