Birth certificate as multifunction document? All you need to know about key Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

The Narendra Modi government at the Centre on Wednesday tabled a Bill that seeks to make the use of the Aadhaar number, if available, mandatory for the issuance of a birth certificate besides making it the sole document required for the purposes of school admissions, driver’s license issuance, voter list preparation, marriage registration, government employment, Public Sector Undertakings, passport issuance, Aadhaar number issuance, among others.

Aimed at establishing national and state-level databases for registered births and deaths, the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, is part of an amendment to the original 1969 Act, which could streamline the processes for registering births and deaths. The Bill, moved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is the first amendment to the Act since its inception.

“Based on the consultations held with the State Governments, public and other stakeholders, it is proposed to amend certain provisions of the Act in form of a Bill, namely the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023,” the government stated.

The government claims that the amendment is expected to enhance the update processes for other databases and usher in a more transparent and efficient delivery system of public services and social benefits.

Arguing that the revision of the 1969 Act is needed to match societal and technological evolution, the Bill also includes provisions that would digitise the registration and delivery of birth and death certificates, besides positioning the birth certificate as the definitive proof of a person’s date and place of birth.

As per the proposed legislation, the amended Act will apply to individuals born on or after the commencement of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023.

The introduction of the Bill was, however, opposed by Congress MP Manish Tewari who argued that the Rajya Sabha lacked the legislative competence to do so. He also pointed out that the measure proposed by the Bill transgresses into an individual’s right to privacy.