India's Civil Registration System (CRS) Achievements and Challenges

India achieved over 99% registration of its estimated births and deaths in 2024, marking a substantial improvement over the past decade. This achievement is attributed to the Civil Registration System (CRS), a foundational element for population data in India.

Key Achievements

• High Registration Rates: In 2024, birth and death registration reached 99.1% and 99.4% respectively.
• State Performance: 18 states and Union Territories achieved 100% birth registration, and 21 states and UTs reached 100% death registration.
• Policy Impact: Complete registration aids in assessing health and social policies, and understanding fertility and mortality trends.

Factors Contributing to Increased Registration

• Institutional Deliveries: Increased hospital deliveries, incentivized by post-delivery benefits, encourage birth registration.
• Legal and Administrative Requirements: Birth and death certificates are necessary for school admissions, welfare benefits, and property transfers.
• Digitisation: The 2023 amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act facilitates timely and complete civil registration.

Challenges and Disparities

• Regional Disparities: Socioeconomic differences and varying administrative capacities affect registration completion.
• Timeliness and Quality: Many births and deaths are not registered within the prescribed 21-day period, and infant death registration is notably under-reported in rural areas.
• Medical Certification: A significant number of deaths lack reliable medical certification, affecting disease and mortality analysis.

The continued improvement in India's CRS should focus on enhancing the quality of data and timely registration, as well as considering a system for recording internal migration to strengthen administrative planning.