Birth certificate to be key legal document under amended RBD rules: Nagaland Govt

The Nagaland government on January 21 addressed the media on the Nagaland Registration of Births & Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 2024 at the Directorate of Economics & Statistics.
Advisor for Economics & Statistics, IT&C and Evaluation, H. Sethrongkyu Sangtam, stressed that birth and death are the two most vital events defining the legal existence of an individual. He said the registration of these events is a primary source of vital population data and plays a crucial role in governance and planning.
Sangtam informed that while the Registration of Births & Deaths Act, 1969 (amended in 2023) is implemented across the country, Nagaland amended the rules in 2024 to meet local requirements under the Nagaland Registration of Births & Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 1999.
He said that as of December 31, 2024, the state has 1,474 registration centres, of which 1,447 are located in rural areas and 27 in urban areas. In rural areas, registration units have been established in every recognised village and are managed by government primary school or GMS teachers acting as Registrars of Births and Deaths. Registration units have also been set up in PHCs and CHCs, where the nursing in-charge functions as the registrar. In urban areas, registration units operate at the Directorate of Economics & Statistics, offices of district registrars, and all government district hospitals, where nursing superintendents register vital events occurring in medical institutions.
Elaborating on the Registration of Births & Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, the advisor said the Act came into force nationwide from October 1, 2023. Under the amended provisions, the birth certificate will serve as the sole document for admission to educational institutions, issuance of driving licences, preparation of electoral rolls, Aadhaar enrolment, marriage registration and appointment to government jobs. It will also be the only document to prove the date and place of birth of persons born on or after October 1, 2023, besides enabling the creation of national and state-level databases of registered births and deaths.
Secretary, Economics & Statistics, Akunu S. Meyase, IAS, explained the registration procedures for birth and death events as per Sections 8 and 9 of the Registration of Births & Deaths Act, 1969 (amended in 2023). She also detailed the procedures applicable in both rural and urban areas.
Director of Economics & Statistics, Neidilhou Angami, briefed the media on the Online Civil Registration System (CRS). He said the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has developed a uniform software for registration of births and deaths under Sections 12 and 17 of the Act. Certificates issued through the system are accessible at dc.crsorgi.gov.in and carry a unique registration number for each event across the country. He added that the certificates are QR-code enabled and their authenticity can be verified at crsorgi.gov.in.
Angami further informed that Nagaland launched online registration of births and deaths on April 19, 2022, which is currently implemented in all 11 district headquarters, including the directorate. As of October 31, 2025, 889 registration units have been activated on the ORGI portal, and the remaining units will be brought online in a phased manner.
He also said that the revamped CRS portal, launched by the Registrar General of India on May 13, 2024, facilitates real-time registration and is more user-friendly. The general public can now apply for birth or death certificates within 21 days of occurrence through dc.crsorgi.gov.in, with certificates delivered electronically to the registered email ID and mobile number of the parent or informant. All manual birth and death certificates can also be digitised, he added.