Winter session: Government likely to table bill allowing NPR updation using birth and death data

The government shared the draft of the Bill last year for public suggestions

The government is likely to introduce a bill in the Winter Session that will permit the Registrar General of India to maintain births and deaths data and use it to update the National Population Register (NPR).

The data will be used to update electoral rolls, the Aadhar database, ration cards, passports and driving licenses as well, according to The Indian Express report.

The government shared the draft of the Bill — which will amend the Registration of Birth and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 — last year for public suggestions.

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The government proposes to amend Section 3 of the RBD Act through the insertion of Section 3A, which says: “The Registrar General, India shall maintain the database of registered births and deaths at national level, that may be used, with the approval of Central Government, to update Population Register prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955; Electoral Registers or Electoral Rolls prepared under Representation of People Act, 1951."

The government has proposed amendments in Section 8 which deals with the requirement of citizens and house heads to give information on births and deaths. It says those responsible would also be required to provide "Aadhaar number, if available, of parents and the informant in case of birth, and of the deceased, parents, husband or wife and the informant in case of death”.

The draft bill has also amended the word "oldest male" in the house for providing information of births and deaths to the "oldest person" in the house.

It has also made it mandatory for medical institutions to provide a certificate as to the cause of death to the Registrar and a copy to the nearest relative.