Registration
of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026
Prelims:
Polity, Governance
Mains:
GS Paper II- Government Policies
and Interventions
Current relevance:
The Registration of Births and Deaths
(Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced in
the Lok Sabha on 29 July 2026, seeks to amend the Registration of Births and
Deaths Act, 1969.
Highlights:
Historical Background:
1.
The Registration of Births and Deaths
Act, 1969 established a uniform and mandatory framework for the registration of births and deaths throughout India.
2.
It also
designated the Registrar General of India (RGI) as the nodal
authority responsible for coordinating and overseeing the country's civil
registration system.
3.
The 2023
Amendment enabled the creation of a national database of births and
deaths.
4.
It allowed
birth certificates to serve as a single document for updating records in
various government databases and for availing multiple public services.
5.
The
Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok
Sabha on 29 July 2026, seeks to further amend the Registration of
Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to strengthen the legal framework governing the
registration of births and deaths.
Objective:
The Bill seeks to make the delayed
registration of births and deaths more stringent.
Registration of
Delayed Births and Deaths:
1.
Under
the existing Act, births or deaths reported after one year require an order for registration.
2.
Such an
order may currently be issued by a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District
Magistrate, after verification
and payment of the prescribed fee.
3.
The Bill
provides that if the delay exceeds two years,
registration can be authorised only by a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class.
Source: THE HINDU - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/births-and-deaths-amendment-bill-2026-passed-in-lok-sabha-amid-protests-over-police-crackdown/article71289428.ece