Hold awareness drives for name inclusion in birth certificates: DPH tells edu institutions

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has instructed all District Revenue Officers to conduct awareness campaigns at schools, colleges, and registration units on the inclusion of the names of students in their birth certificates. The government has extended the deadline for the same to December 31, 2024, it added. 

This applies to all births registered before January 1, 2000, and cases where 15 years have passed since the registration of the date of birth.

As per the amended Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, the birth certificate would now be the only document to prove the date and place of children born on or after October 1, 2023, for various purposes.

Under the new registration system for births and deaths, implemented in Tamil Nadu with effect from January 1, 2000, and as per the Tamil Nadu Registration of Birth and Death Rules 2000, the names of children can be included in their birth certificates up to 15 years from the date of registration of their births.

Birth certificates can be used to determine the place of birth, for admission to education institutions, issuance of driving licences, preparation of voter lists, issuance of Aadhaar numbers, issuance of passports, registration of marriage, appointment to a post in a Central Government, State Government, public sector undertaking, local body, or any other statutory or autonomous body under the State Government or Central Government.

In this regard, the DPH has requested educational authorities to direct schools to verify students' birth certificates and inform parents about the impending deadline and the need to approach Registrars of Births and Deaths. Schools have also been asked to check if all students have birth certificates and ensure that their names are included in them as well.

Parents should be encouraged to register their children's names using name declaration forms and ensure that birth certificates of their wards featuring their names are submitted during the school admission process, the DPH stated.

Additionally, schools have been instructed to submit weekly reports to the Chief Educational Officer who will then submit them to the District Health Officers and the Additional District Registrar of Births and Deaths.