Registration Of Births And Deaths Act, 1969
No: 18 Dated: May, 31 1969
The Registration Of Births And Deaths Act, 1969
(Act No. 18 of 1969)
Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023
An Act to provide for the regulation of registration of births and deaths and for matters connected therewith.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Twentieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:
CHAPTER I
Preliminary
1. Short title, extent and commencement .(1) This Act may be called The Registration of Births and Deaths Act , 1969.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force in a State on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint:
Provided that different/dates may be appointed for different parts of a State.
2. Definitions and interpretation .(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
(a) birth means live-birth or still-birth;
(b) death means the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live-birth has taken place;
(c) foetal death means absence of all evidence of life prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception irrespective of the duration of pregnancy;
(d) live-birth means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, and each product of such birth is considered live-born;
(e) prescribed means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(f) State Government, in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereof;
(g) still-birth means foetal death where a product of conception has attained at least the prescribed period of gestation.
(2) Any reference in this Act to any law which is not in force in any area shall , in relation to that area, be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.
CHAPTER II
Registrationestablishment
3. Registrar-General, India .(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint a person to be known as the Registrar-General, India.
(2) The Central Government may also appoint such other officers with such designations as it thinks fit for the purpose of discharging, under the superintendence and direction of the Registrar-General, such functions of the Registrar-General under this Act as he may, from time to time, authorise them to discharge.
(3) The Registrar-General may issue general directions regarding registration of births and deaths in the territories to which this Act extends, and shall take steps to co-ordinate and unify the activities of Chief Registrars in the matter of registration of births and deaths and submit to the Central Government an annual report on the working of this Act in the said territories.
4. Chief Registrar .(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint a Chief Registrar for the State.
(2) The State Government may also appoint such other officers with such designations as it thinks fit for the purpose of discharging, under the superintendence and direction of the Chief Registrar, such of his functions as he may, from time to time, authorise them to discharge.
(3) The Chief Registrar shall be the chief executive authority in the State for carrying into execution the provisions of this Act and the rules and orders made thereunder subject to the directions, if any, given by the State Government.
(4) The Chief Registrar shall take steps, by the issue of suitable instructions or otherwise, to co-ordinate, unify and supervise the work of registration in the State for securing an efficient system of registration and shall prepare and submit to the State Government, in such manner and at such intervals as may be prescribed, a report on the working of this Act in the State alongwith the statistical report referred to in sub-section (2) of section 19.
5. Registration divisions .The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, divide the territory within the State into such registration divisions as it may think fit and prescribe different rules for different registration divisions.
6. District Registrar .(1) The State Government may appoint a District Registrar for each revenue district and such number of Additional District Registrars as it thinks fit who shall, subject to the general control and direction of the District Registrar, discharge such functions of the District Registrar as the District Registrar may, from time to time, authorise them to discharge.
(2) The District Registrar shall superintend, subject to the direction of the Chief Registrar, the registration of births and deaths in the district and shall be responsible for carrying into execution in the district the provisions of this Act and the orders of the Chief Registrar issued from time to time for the purposes of this Act.