Govt. orders scrutiny of birth, death records
Registrar General of India tightens verification of digitised birth and death records to curb fake certificates and protect the Civil Registration System
- The Registrar General of India has asked States to tighten checks on digitising old birth and death records.
- The notice refers to the 2023 amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 as the basis for compulsory online registration on the CCRS portal.
- Birth certificates are being used as identity documents during special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The Registrar General of India has ordered stricter scrutiny of digitised birth and death records after concerns that some certificates may be fake or unauthorised. The order is important because birth certificates serve as identity documents in some electoral roll processes and because civil registration records are foundational public documents.
What the Registrar General of India has directed
The Registrar General of India has asked State registration machinery to tighten checks on digitising old birth and death records. The stated concern is that credentials of registration staff may have been compromised through shared login IDs, passwords, or one-time passwords (OTPs).
UPSC may ask how digitisation of civil records improves service delivery but also creates risks of fraud, weak audit trails, and compromised credentials. A Mains answer can link Civil Registration System reforms, data integrity, authentication, and the use of birth certificates in electoral verification.
Related dispatches
