Thu Jun 26 19:42:00 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**India Mandates Hospitals Issue Birth Certificates Before Discharge**

**New Delhi, June 27, 2025** – In a move aimed at streamlining bureaucratic processes and increasing convenience for new parents, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has directed all states to ensure that birth certificates are issued to mothers before they are discharged from hospitals. The directive places particular emphasis on government-run hospitals, which account for over 50% of institutional births in India.

According to a letter issued by the RGI on June 12th, registrars are instructed to provide birth certificates, either electronically or in another format, within seven days of registration. This initiative is part of a broader effort to improve the Civil Registration System, which includes amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, and the development of a new Central CRS portal.

The RGI emphasized the increased importance of birth certificates since October 1, 2023, when the digital birth certificate became the primary document for proving date of birth for services such as school admissions, government jobs, and marriage registration. The amended RBD Act of 1969 mandates the registration of all births and deaths on a centralized portal, replacing the previous system where states maintained their own databases. This centralized data will also be used to update the National Population Register (NPR), ration cards, property registration, and electoral rolls.

Earlier in March, the RGI cautioned hospitals about delays in reporting births and deaths, noting that nearly 10% of births were not being registered. The current directive aims to address this issue and ensure timely issuance of birth certificates, fostering goodwill and simplifying processes for the public.

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