The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Birth certificates: GHMC seeks 35 years age limit

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Friday, Jul 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Birth certificates: GHMC seeks 35 years age limit

Amendment to Registration of Births and Deaths Rules urged

Many citizens settled abroad are asking for birth certificates
Rule of registering births before 21 days is usually ignored

HYDERABAD: Although it is currently inundated with applications for obtaining birth certificates, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had earlier appealed to the Union Government to examine the possibility of removing the 15-year time limit for obtaining such a certificate.

In a communication sent to the Registrar General of India, Vital Statistics Division, New Delhi, few months ago, the Commissioner of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad had requested the official to amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Rules of 1999 and also consider extending the time for taking a birth certificate up to 35 years of age. The Commissioner had pointed out that many citizens of the twin cities, especially software professionals, who had settled abroad were approaching the civic body for taking birth certificates even when their names were not registered at the time of their birth for Green Card or immigration purposes.

As per the Births and Registration Act of 1969, all births should be registered before 21 days, the record would be available with the Sub-Registrar of the ward for a year before going into the official record and the name had to be registered before the person attained 15 years of age. Usually this process is ignored and more often than not the birth certificate is taken either with a pet name or with no name if the naming ceremony is delayed awaiting a special occasion. “Except in the Indian sub-continent, birth certificates are vital documents for all countries because they are the first certificates issued,” remarked a senior official. People here have realised the importance of birth certificate only after it has become compulsory for applying for a Green Card, he pointed out. Birth certificates could be issued without much ado if the person was registered already and any corrections in the names too could be done.

Alternative

In case of registration made after birth, the GHMC has thought a way out in view of several representations.

It is issuing a non-availability certificate stating that birth certificate cannot be issued as per the existing rules.

If the name is registered too, a birth certificate is being issued without the name with a letter indicating why the document cannot be given with a name.

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