HYDERABAD: Despite being considered one of the top tech hubs in the country, Telangana has lagged behind in issuing digital birth certificates.
According to the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021 report, out of a total of 6,11,651 registered births, 2,34,425 deaths, and 6,051 stillbirths in the state, only 4,15,485 birth records, 1,26,098 death records and 4,062 stillbirth records had been digitised.
The lack of digital birth certificates creates difficulties for citizens in accessing various services. The report also noted that birth and death registrations often did not occur within the stipulated 21-day period.
“Telangana, Bihar, Tripura, Goa, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh fall into the category of registering more than 50% but less than 80% of births and deaths within the 21-day time frame,” the report stated.
This shortfall persists despite directions issued to all District Medical and Health Officers (District Registrars) and Municipal Commissioners/Municipal Health Officers (Urban Registrars), who are authorised to prosecute and compound offences. These officials were again instructed to exercise their powers under Section 23 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, to improve registration compliance.
However, the CRS report pointed out that Telangana did not impose any penalties under Section 23 of the Act and submitted a nil report to the Centre.
The report further stated that several states, including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, did not furnish complete information regarding birth and death certificates issued under Sections 12 and 17 of the Act.
According to the CRS, Telangana cited Covid-19 as one of the major causes of under-reporting, along with a lack of sub-registrars and statistical staff in municipalities, and a high number of vacancies among panchayat secretaries.
The number of registered births in Telangana also declined in 2021 compared to 2020. Nationally, the number of registered births decreased slightly from 242.2 lakhs in 2020 to 242.0 lakhs in 2021 — a decline of about 0.1%.
Most states and union territories saw a decrease in registered births in 2021, with the exception of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Puducherry. The report noted that 12 states and UTs — Jharkhand, Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu — contributed significantly to the overall decline in registered births in 2021 compared to 2020.