Proposed Amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act (RBD), 1969

In News 

• Recently, the Centre has proposed amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act (RBD), 1969.
  • Presently, the registration of births and deaths is done by the local registrar appointed by States.

Need For Amendment

• A few state governments have reported issuance of fake birth and death certificates including misuse of user and login ID and password created in the existing portal developed for online registration of birth and death.
  • In August 2021, more than 250 fake birth and death certificates were reportedly issued within one week after hacking into the website of Agra municipal corporation. 
• The database may be used to update the Population Register and the electoral register, and Aadhaar, ration card, passport and driving licence databases.
•  The Centre could use the data to update the National Population Register (NPR).

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 appointment of “Special Sub-Registrars, in the event of a 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 amendments will imply that the Centre will be a parallel repository of data.
• A new Section 3-A : The database of registered births and deaths at the national level may be used, with the approval of the Central government to 
  •  Update the 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.
  • The driving licence database under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. 

 Image Courtesy: TH

Source: TH