In News:

According to the Civil Registration System (CRS) Report, 2024, India has achieved near-universal registration of vital events, recording 99.1% of estimated births and 99.4% of estimated deaths. This marks a remarkable improvement from 2000, when only 56% of births and 48% of deaths were officially registered.

About the Civil Registration System (CRS)

The Civil Registration System (CRS) is a continuous, compulsory and permanent system for recording births, deaths and stillbirths in India. It functions under the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969, which was amended in 2023, and is administered by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Although the system became operational in 1970, the completeness of registration has improved substantially only over the last two decades.

Key Highlights of the CRS Report, 2024

India registered 99.1% of estimated births and 99.4% of estimated deaths in 2024, reflecting a major improvement in the coverage of civil registration.

A total of 18 States/UTs achieved 100% birth registration, while 21 States/UTs recorded 100% death registration.

Registration coverage has improved steadily over time:

• 2000: Births – 56%, Deaths – 48%
• 2014: Births – 86.6%, Deaths – 72.5%
• 2024: Births – 99.1%, Deaths – 99.4%

Despite near-universal coverage, many events are still not registered within the prescribed 21-day period.

The report also highlights persistent concerns:

• Infant death registration remains disproportionately low in rural areas, with 84.2% of registered infant deaths reported from urban areas and only 15.8% from rural areas, suggesting under-registration.
• Registration of a death does not necessarily imply medical certification of its cause, limiting the usefulness of CRS data for disease surveillance and mortality analysis.
• Since estimates of registration completeness rely on the Sample Registration System (SRS), which may itself undercount births and deaths, actual CRS coverage could be slightly overestimated.

Significance of CRS

The Civil Registration System serves as the primary source of vital statistics, providing reliable information on births, deaths, fertility, mortality and sex ratio at birth.

It supports:

• Evidence-based health and social policy formulation.
• District-level and local planning under decentralised governance.
• Issuance of legally valid birth and death certificates required for education, identity documents, inheritance, pensions, insurance and welfare benefits.
• Monitoring demographic trends and public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registration of Births and Deaths: Legal Provisions

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (amended in 2023) mandates the registration of all births, deaths and stillbirths at the place of occurrence.

Key provisions include:

• Registration is carried out digitally through the Civil Registration System (CRS).
• Births, deaths and stillbirths should be reported within 21 days of occurrence; delayed registration attracts the prescribed fee.
• The Registrar General of India (RGI) oversees the system nationally, while Chief Registrars, District Registrars and Local Registrars implement it at the State and local levels.
• Births and deaths of Indian citizens abroad are registered through Indian Consulates under the Citizenship Act, 1955, with additional provisions for registration upon return to India under the RBD Act.
• Negligence by a registrar in discharging statutory duties is punishable with a fine up to ?1,000.