THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Name change in birth certificate is all set to become easier. In a major decision that would help many people, the state government has decided to bring in major relaxations in the norms for name change. Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh said that this would resolve a long-pending complex issue.
“People with birth registration in Kerala and have changed name through Gazette notification will be allowed to make a one-time change in birth certificate,” he said in a statement. The decision on norm relaxation has come as a relief for people who studied in CBSE, ICSE streams or abroad.
At present, those who had education in public schools in Kerala can change their names in their SSLC certificate and school records after a gazette notification. These school records can be used for changing the name in the birth certificate.
But those who had education in the CBSE/ICSE schools or those who had education abroad did not have this facility. They had to produce a changed birth certificate for making a change in school certificate and vice versa.
With relaxation in norms, there will be corresponding changes in K Smart too.
The decision to revise the norm on changing the name in birth certificates is part of the LDF government’s efforts for timely reforms in laws and rules, Rajesh said. The LSG department had received several applications for relaxation in norms.
“The latest decision will be a relief for them. The government, with the help of technology, initiated revolutionary reforms in birth, death and marriage registrations. Today Keralites can register their marriage from anywhere in the world using video KYC. More reforms will be made in civil registrations,” he said.
The latest reform was based on an application submitted at the Nava Kerala Sadas. The person who submitted the application had changed his name from Kannan Baiju to Kannan Divakaran. But a change in birth certificate was inevitable to change the school certificate. But as per rule, the changed school certificate was necessary to effect a change in birth certificate which put him in a quandary.