The story so far: India wants to build a pan-India unified database of demographic data of individuals — from the moment of birth to the day they die. The Registration of Birth and Death (RBD) Amendment Bill, 2023 was tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 26. The proposed changes will make birth certificates a necessary document to unlock basic services, such as voting, education, and food welfare schemes. The Centre is also likely to mandate Aadhaar during the registration process.
This real-time, dynamic national-level population database will also be linked with other demographic databases: ration cards and passports, voter rolls and the National Population Register for “efficient and transparent delivery of public services and benefits,” the Bill’s Objects and Reasons stated. This will avoid a “multiplicity of documents to prove date and place of birth in the country”.
The Bill comes at a contentious time, as the methodology and scientific rigour of India’s nationwide surveys are disputed, the data protection Bill faces stiff opposition, and the Census has been delayed indefinitely ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
