The Hindu : National : Patil launches second phase birth registration

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 22, 2005

National

National

Patil launches second phase birth registration

Staff Correspondent

"It is the first step in recognising the child's existence"

MY BIRTHRIGHT:A child grabs her birth certificate from her father during the launch of the second phase of the national campaign on birth certificates in New Delhi on Thursday. — Photo: V.Sudershan

NEW DELHI: The Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, launched the second phase of the National Campaign on Birth Certificates here on Thursday to provide certificates to all children born during the past 10 years.

During the first phase launched by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in November 2003 over 3.04 crore birth certificates were issued. Mr. Patil stressed upon the importance of birth certificates as the first step in recognising the existence of the child and paving the way for fulfilment of rights as a citizen. He said that as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, India was committed to ensuring registration of every birth and hoped that the country would achieve 100 per cent registration by 2010 as targeted in the National Population Policy 2000.

The Central and the State Governments were reviewing the working of the registration system for taking appropriate measures for ensuring 100 per cent registration. There was a need for evolving a system of reporting births and deaths to the registrar and delivery of certificates through grassroots workers.

Referring to Orissa where the involvement of auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) in reporting births and deliveries of certificates had resulted in all-round improvement of the registration levels, Mr. Patil suggested that other State Governments could have similar arrangements.

"Steps are being taken to improve the level of registration in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh that would help in a quantum jump in the level of registration from the current level of 60 per cent of the births."

Highlighting the use of Information Technology for improving the services in municipal areas, Mr. Patil said more urban areas should adopt and encourage the use of IT for birth registration.

The campaign has been launched in the backdrop of the backlog in registration of births and issue of certificates that have accumulated over the years. Though it is compulsory to register every birth, there has been under-registration in the past. It is also mandatory to issue a birth certificate soon after registration.

The United Nations Children Fund will provide support to the State Governments for improving birth registration. The Office of the Registrar-General and State Governments are working with the UNICEF for increasing public awareness about the need and importance of the birth registration and providing training to registration functionaries.

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