Latest news with #CivilRegistrationSystem
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bihar has consistently lagged in registering births, shows govt. report
According to the 2009 Civil Registration System (CRS) report compiled by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the level of registration of births in Bihar in 2000 stood at 3.7% compared to the national average of 56.2% the same year. The total number of births registered across the country in 2000 was 1,29,46,823. For those born in 2004 and 2005, the level of registration in the State was 11.5% and 16.9% respectively. The countrywide registration was 60.4% in 2004 and 62.5% in 2005. The total registered births in 2004 and 2005 were 1,57,77,612 and 1,63,94,625 respectively. The 2009 report said that 'in order to quantify the impact of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which are performing abysmally poor for the last so many years, the level of registration for the country excluding these two States have been worked out,' which rose to 78.3% in 2005. Significant gap 'On comparison of estimated and registered births, it is found that there is significant gap in estimated and registered births in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh,' the report said. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is currently going on in Bihar, stipulates that those born in India after December 2, 2004 would have to provide any 11 documents, which include birth certificates, establishing their date of birth and/or place and furnish similar documents belonging to the father and mother of the applicant also. There were over 7.72 crore electors in Bihar during the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Election Commission of India (EC) on Monday said 4.96 crore electors do not need to submit any documents as they can verify their details from the 2003 electoral rolls when the last such exercise was carried out. The Union Home Ministry amended the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in 2023 that mandated digital birth certificates for those born after October 1, 2023 for admissions in schools, colleges and for updating electoral rolls. However, periodic CRS reports show that not all births are registered. On March 17, the RGI office cautioned private and government hospitals to report incidents of births and deaths within 21 days after it was found that many medical institutions were flouting the law adding that nearly 10% births were not getting registered. 'To get an idea as to the coverage of civil registration in the country, the data generated from the Civil Registration System (CRS) has been compared with corresponding estimates thrown up by the Sample Registration System (SRS),' the 2009 report said. CRS and SRS While CRS is the actual numbers, SRS is the largest demographic survey in the country mandated to provide annual estimates of fertility and mortality indicators at the State and national level. The EC's move to conduct SIR has invited criticism from Opposition parties terming it as a move to bring the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the backdoor. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said the government should furnish the data on total number of illegal migrants in the country. 'How is the BLO (Booth Level Officer) going to scrutinise the documents? Why should people pay penalty for government not keeping a check on illegal migrants. The officials can also report people if they doubt their citizenship. We want to know the criteria that was followed during the SIR in 2003,' Mr. Owaisi said. In 2022, as many as 2,54,39,164 births were registered. In 2022, Bihar was among 14 States where the 50%-80% births were registered in the stipulated 21-day period. The State registered 71% births within the prescribed limit of 21-days.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Demographic alarm in Karnataka, deaths outpace births in seven districts!
Bengaluru: A demographic shift with far-reaching implications is unfolding in Karnataka, where seven districts—Udupi, Hassan, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, and Chitradurga—have reported a higher number of deaths than births, according to the Civil Registration System (CRS) data released by the Centre for 2021. This reversal of the natural demographic trend, where birth rates typically outstrip death rates, marks a critical turning point for the state. In 2019, only three districts—Chamarajanagar, Mandya, and Ramanagara—had reported such a trend. The widening of this phenomenon to four additional districts reflects what experts call a silent but worrying demographic transition. Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada (DK), along with 10 other districts, viz. Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Davanagere, Chikkamagaluru, Tumakuru, Mysuru, and Bengaluru Urban, is now showing signs of stagnation. Although births still marginally exceed deaths in these districts, the growth margin is narrowing swiftly, pushing them towards a potential demographic tipping point. The trend stands in stark contrast to regions like Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, and Koppal—part of the Kalyana Karnataka region—where higher birth rates continue to sustain population growth. However, even here, districts like Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Shivamogga, Ballari, Bagalkote, and Vijayapura are approaching similar stress zones in terms of birth-death ratios. The 2021 CRS report underscores that Karnataka is not alone. Across the country, 49 districts have recorded this inversion, with an overwhelming 34 located in south India. Karnataka contributes seven such districts to the list, while neighbouring Tamil Nadu accounts for 17. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry make up the rest. 'This trend reflects both the success of socio-economic development and the challenges of a rapidly ageing population,' said a Bengaluru-based demographer. 'However, the implications are serious, ranging from labour shortages to shifts in policy priorities and fiscal allocations,' the report stated.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Ensure birth certificate of new-born issued to mother before discharge from hospital: Registrar General of India
The Registrar General of India (RGI) has asked all States to ensure that birth certificates are issued to mothers of new-born children before they are discharged from hospitals, particularly government run-hospitals, which account for more than 50% of institutional births in the country. The RGI office said the registrar should give the birth certificate as soon as the registration of birth is completed 'but not later than seven days' in an electronic or other format. 'You will appreciate that this office, in its endeavour of making the registration process smooth and user-friendly, has taken several steps to improve the Civil Registration System, including amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, corresponding amendment to State Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, development of a new Central CRS portal etc. In view of the increased importance of the birth certificate, it is the need of the hour that the certificate is delivered to the mother of the new-born child before her discharge from the hospital, especially by the government hospitals where more than 50% of total institutional births occur,' the June 12 letter by the RGI office said. Also Read | Registrar General of India cautions hospitals over delay in reporting events of birth, death It said government hospitals, community health centers and primary health centres across the country are working as registration units and the registrars of such units should be sensitised to the importance of immediate issue of birth certificate as its utility has been recently increased manifold. From October 1, 2023, the digital birth certificate is the single document to prove the date of birth for various services such as admission to educational institutions, government jobs, marriage registration among others. A birth certificate is issued by the registrar in accordance with Section 12 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969. The RBD Act, 1969 which was amended in 2023, mandates registration of all births and deaths on the Centre's portal from October 1, 2023. Earlier, States maintained their own database and shared statistics with the RGI office under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Also Read | Are births and deaths being properly registered in India? | Explained The centralised database will be used to update the National Population Register (NPR), ration cards, property registration and electoral rolls. The RGI letter said these steps would bring convenience to common people and will engender goodwill. Earlier on March 17, the RGI office cautioned private and government hospitals to report incidents of birth and death within 21 days after it was found that many medical institutions were flouting the law, adding that nearly 10% births were not getting registered.
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Hyderabad to adopt new birth, death registration system
HYDERABAD: As part of efforts to implement a uniform system for birth and death registration across the country, Hyderabad is set to adopt the new Civil Registration System (CRS), also known as the Registration of Birth and Death Rules 2022. The CRS is managed by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Currently, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) uses its own software for online registration of births and deaths. However, several instances of fake birth and death certificates being issued have come to light, prompting the termination of health assistants and computer operators and the suspension of some Assistant Medical Officers of Health (AMOHs). Once Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy clears the file, GHMC will switch to the ORGI's CRS platform to curb such malpractices and ensure uniformity. GHMC officials told TNIE that the move aligns with ORGI's push to standardise registration processes, certificate issuance and statistical data generation. The CRS software developed by ORGI is already being adopted in various states, Union Territories and cities across India. Officials said the software allows real-time monitoring of data, tracks registration activity, preserves records digitally and ensures issuance of uniform certificates with a unique registration number for every event.
The Print
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
India deserves better than M-O-D-I: Misinformation, Opacity, Distractions, Incompetence
Whether disseminating fake figures, brushing off aviation calamities with words like 'nobody can stop accidents' – as home minister Amit Shah put it after the AI 171 crash – the only thing the Modi government can celebrate after 11 years is how successfully it has mastered the art of refusing to tell the truth. And thereby escape all accountability and responsibility. Just days earlier, in another shocking tragedy, four were killed and several injured after falling from two local trains in Mumbra in Maharashtra. Around the same time, a BBC News Hindi report found that as many as 82 people died in stampedes at the Kumbh Mela earlier this year, against the official figure of 37. Weeks earlier, it had emerged through the government's own Civil Registration System (CRS) data that official Covid-19 death figures were wrong, and that the actual death toll was at least six times higher . The highest falsification of these figures was in Gujarat, where the Covid mortality rate was 33 times the earlier stated deaths. In the week when the Bharatiya Janata Party launched a familiar drumbeat to celebrate 11 years in power, the worst aviation tragedy in recent years occurred in Ahmedabad in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat. Over 270 were killed. The country was plunged into grief, outrage, anger, and mourning. The Modi government does not honour our national motto – Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone must triumph). And here's how I came to that conclusion. Negligent, unaccountable system Under high voltage advertising and boastful self-promotion, the government is plagued by the M-O-D-I syndrome—Misinformation, Opacity, Distractions, and Incompetence. After 11 years of M-O-D-I, there is nothing to celebrate. The government's constant drive for headline management, its pursuit of hype, its industrial-scale disinformation campaigns carried forward by its media and social media armies, and its wall-to-wall projection of Modi as a superhero, are obsessive, fantastical, and delusional. This frenzied focus on media management and self-aggrandisement has infused a recklessness and shoddiness in all governance systems and institutions. Narendra Modi plays a T-20 version of politics, forever on the lookout for stage event-managed spectacles and well-rehearsed theatrics that grab eyeballs and TV viewership. When the top leader is a media showman focused on photo-ops, the system down the line becomes negligent and unaccountable and is not incentivised to carry out due diligence at any level or pay attention to detail. The railway ministry seems only focused on media images of the PM flagging off Vande Bharat trains, less concerned with safety and the grim toll of rail accidents that seems to be rising every day. About 244 consequential rail accidents took place between 2017 and 2022. On 12 June – the very same day of the catastrophic Ahmedabad plane crash – a train running from Delhi to Ghaziabad derailed near Shivaji Bridge station, with its fourth coach falling off the tracks. The Modi government keeps trumpeting the opening of new airports, yet hundreds of posts in the civil aviation sector lie vacant, depriving crucial areas of aviation of adequately trained staff. Earlier this year, Parliament was told that staffing shortages are particularly acute at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), with nearly 48 per cent of its positions currently vacant. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are also operating with 37 per cent vacancies, according to official data. According to data shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Lok Sabha, 814 out of the 1,692 approved posts at the DGCA are vacant. Once again, M-O-D-I strikes. Despite glitzy airport openings and the media orchestra tom-tomming about privatisation, the civil aviation sector, in reality, is infected with a misinformation, obfuscation, distraction, and incompetence syndrome. Also read: India's decade of vulnerability needs political unity, not freebies Dangers of performative politics The Modi-led government has not told citizens the truth about Covid-related deaths, nor told citizens the truth about fatalities at Kumbh Mela stampedes. Even during Operation Sindoor in May, the government displayed a tendency toward wilful misinformation mixed with deliberate opacity on the gains and losses that India experienced during the conflict with Pakistan. The constant inclination is not to inform but to mislead, not to educate but to incite, not to enlighten but to confuse. Modi practices politics like performative art, constantly creating dramas that further polarise society, while the television media plays out its own circus where anchors play the role of ringmasters of lies. Bombast and bluster are unleashed 24×7 to supply online armies and their generals with ammunition to attack critics and dissenters. The Opposition is denigrated repeatedly, but an aura of invincibility is created around a prime minister, always photographed from the most flattering angles possible. When top leaders practice performative politics, when those at the very top do not hesitate to tell lies, this culture of M-O-D-I percolates from the top down to the lowest rungs. Preoccupied with only communicating deliriously fantastical images of Viksit Bharat, and stubbornly refusing to tell the truth, glitzy fakery is in danger of becoming the default mode of this government. The only achievement that this government can 'celebrate' after 11 years is the unequalled ability to market itself through a captive, irresponsible media and showcase its talent at artful headline management. In 2016, the Modi government bellowed about demonetisation as a 'master-stroke' against black money. But eight years later, there is every indication that cash is back in the system. There has been no systematic audit on demonetisation's gains and losses. Parliament has still not been told in detail what impact the Covid-related lockdown had on employment and the informal sector, or how many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) were forced to shut down. Six years after the ghastly attack in Pulwama in 2019, citizens still don't know who has been held accountable for the deaths of 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). There is no reliable information available on the cases the Enforcement Directorate is pursuing, beyond that many of them are against the Opposition. But given that most ED cases do not lead to convictions, who in the ED is accountable for what prima facie is a vendetta-cum-washing machine campaign against the Opposition? In times when the ravages of climate change are sweeping across the planet, the prime minister keeps announcing ambitious climate targets at international conferences. But why has Parliament, and the people, still not been properly informed on what steps are being taken to protect the environment and push sustainability forward? The Modi government's campaigns, such as 'Ek ped maa ke naam (plant a tree in the name of your mother)', and claims that the scheme resulted in 80 crore seedlings planted, are hardly enough. Such programmes are like childish playthings, tinkering with names and nursery games instead of putting real, research-based policies in place or disseminating accurate information. Today, India's GDP numbers have been questioned because of a fog of disinformation on the economy, the latest being the media-hyped headline that India's economy had overtaken Japan's. A more sober assessment would be to also admit that Japan has a per capita income of $33,900 while India's per capita income is a pitiful $2,880. India ranks 143rd in the world in terms of per capita income, while Japan ranks 34th. And it ranks 105th out of 127 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index. No logical explanation either has been given as to why the decennial Census (now slated for 2026) was delayed for six years. The Modi government was economical with the truth on the Pahalgam terror attack, when the home minister told an all-party meeting that the Baisaran meadow had been opened to tourists without police permission. But it was later revealed that no police permission has ever been needed for Baisaran, and the place is a highly popular tourist spot. There is still a mystery over India's declining relations with Canada. What has been the Indian government's investigative response to allegations regarding the murder of Canadian Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar? Has India's deep state been engaged in hiring trans-national gangs for extra-judicial 'encounters' that have ruptured foreign relations with 'friendly' Western democracies? We still don't know. Also read: Modi vs non-BJP CMs: When most popular isn't all-powerful & why Centre-state ties will worsen Ask no questions To every question, the answer is the same: ask no questions. If you do ask questions, you'll be dubbed an anti-national by online bullies and the government's vast army of cheerleaders and 'influencers.' But the simple yet glaring fact is that the Modi government does not tell the truth. It is a hype machine that wants to rule by diktat and arrogantly conveys that it has no respect for the public's right to know. Interestingly, in a press conference held to mark 11 years of the Modi government, it was BJP President JP Nadda who came out to answer questions. Why? Why should the BJP chief answer on behalf of the government? Why should the prime minister or chief executive not take questions from the media? Are we then surprised that we rank 151/180 in the world press freedom index? There is a disdainful, shallow and narcissistic condescension in the way Modi turns his back on answering questions either in public or in a press conference. Modi loves acronyms. But M-O-D-I should become a descriptive term for a non-functional and inefficient government, a government which, for 11 years, has been a regime of Misinformation, Opacity, Distractions, and Incompetence. Sagarika Ghose is a Rajya Sabha MP, All India Trinamool Congress. She tweets @sagarikaghose. Views are personal. (Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
