New Delhi, May 23, 2023: In a significant move aimed at streamlining data management and enhancing development planning, the Indian government plans to introduce a bill in Parliament to link data related to birth and death with electoral rolls and overall development processes. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced this initiative while inaugurating the ‘Janganana Bhawan,’ the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
Highlighting the importance of an accurate census and its role in shaping the development agenda, Minister Shah emphasized the multi-dimensional benefits of having digital, complete, and precise census figures. He stated that planning based on census data ensures that development reaches even the most marginalized sections of society. Additionally, he stressed that preserving birth and death certificate data in a special manner would enable effective planning of development projects.
The proposed bill aims to establish a connection between death and birth registers with electoral rolls. Under this process, when an individual reaches the age of 18, their name will be automatically included in the electoral rolls. Similarly, in the case of a person’s demise, the information will be automatically relayed to the Election Commission, which will initiate the process of removing the deceased person’s name from the voters’ list.
Officials revealed that the bill, which seeks to amend the Registration of Birth and Death Act (RBD) of 1969, will not only facilitate matters related to driving licenses and passports but will also enable eligible individuals to avail themselves of government welfare schemes and benefits.
Minister Shah underlined the significance of preserving birth and death certificate data in facilitating the accurate estimation of time intervals between censuses, thereby enabling efficient planning of development projects. He lamented that prior to this proposed reform, the development process in the country had been fragmented due to the unavailability of adequate data, resulting in delayed efforts to provide essential amenities such as electricity, housing, clean drinking water, healthcare, and sanitation. The absence of comprehensive and accessible census data, as well as a lack of coordination between census and planning authorities, further compounded the challenges.
Drawing from his 28 years of experience in the development sector, Minister Shah acknowledged that development in India has traditionally been demand-based, often favoring constituencies represented by influential public representatives. This fragmented approach to development has led to duplication and increased costs. The proposed linkage between birth and death data with electoral rolls aims to address these issues and promote more efficient and inclusive development across the nation.
As part of the inauguration, Minister Shah also launched a web portal for birth and death registrations, a collection of census reports, an online sales portal for census reports, and an upgraded version of the SRS mobile app featuring a geofencing facility. The geofencing technology integrated into the mobile app will ensure that enumerators record data accurately by physically visiting the assigned blocks, preventing any possibility of fraudulent entries.
Minister Shah emphasized that the census is a crucial process that outlines a nation’s development trajectory. To ensure its accuracy and reliability, he stressed the need to leverage technology, such as the upgraded SRS mobile app equipped with geofencing capabilities. Looking ahead, he announced that the next census would be conducted in an electronic format, incorporating self-enumeration as a convenient option for respondents.
The proposed bill to link birth and death data with electoral rolls marks a significant step towards efficient data management and development planning. If implemented effectively, this initiative has the potential to enhance the overall development process, promote inclusivity, and ensure that government resources are allocated optimally to benefit all sections of society.
