CRS in for revamp with penalties mooted for delays in issuing certificates

Major changes on cards in Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969

Civil Registration System (CRS), the dynamic births and deaths website initiated by the Central government for a uniform registration process across the country six years ago is in for a revamp with provisions like monetary fines for delays or non-issurnace of certificates, in light of discrepancies observed during the COVID waves throughout the country. While Telangana has not yet joined the system and Andhra Pradesh has firmed up being the only one from the South to be part of the online registration system, the draft proposals circulated shows that the Centre wants to introduce penalties against both the registration officials and the hospitals concerned for not issuing births and deaths certificates before the mandated 7-21 days. “Missing persons in both births/deaths and duplications can be avoided if States adhere to CRS as monitoring mechanism and integration of data is lacking at the village, mandal and district levels. Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 is in for major change once proposals are discussed and rules are framed,” informed senior officials, wishing to remain unnamed.