“Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System” Report

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Data recently released by a report shows that the birth and death registration with the Civil Registration System (CRS) in India went up considerably in 2019.

About

• “Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System” is an Annual Report.
• It is published on the basis of reports provided by the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths of respective States/Union Territories.
• Civil Registration System (CRS) is the process of continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of births and deaths in the country. 
• The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 provides for the compulsory registration of births and deaths.

Key Findings

• Increased Registration: 
  • The level of registration of births and deaths in the country improved in 2019. The report states that the level of birth registration increased from 87.8% in 2018 to 92.7% in 2019; and death registrations went up from 84.6% to 92% during the period.
  • While 14 States/Union Territories achieved 100% level of birth registrations, 19 States/Union Territories achieved the same level in cases of death.
  • The three States i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala have achieved 80 to 90 percent registration of births within 21 days.
• Sex ratio at birth (SRB): 
  • The highest sex ratio at birth (SRB) based on registered events was reported by Arunachal Pradesh (1,024), followed by Nagaland (1,001) Mizoram (975) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (965). The lowest SRB was reported by Gujarat (901), Assam (903) and Madhya Pradesh (905), followed by Jammu & Kashmir (909).
  • Based on the information received from 32 States/Union Territories, the share of institutional births in the total registered births was 81.2%. The number of registered births increased to 2.48 crore in 2019 from 2.33 crore in 2018. The share of male and female was 52.1% and 47.9%.
• Registered Deaths: The number of registered deaths increased from 69.5 lakh in 2018 to 76.4 lakh in 2019. The share of male and female was 59.6% and 40.4%. Based on the information received from 31 States/Union Territories, the share of institutional deaths in total registered deaths was 32.1%.
• Infant deaths: Eleven States/Union Territories achieved more than 90% registration of deaths within the prescribed period of 21 days. In the case of registration of infant deaths, the share of urban areas was 75.5% compared to 24.5% in rural areas.
• North-East States: 
  • Arunachal Pradesh reported 100% registration of births, but only 38.6% of deaths. 
  • Nagaland also registered 100% births, but just 30% deaths, while Manipur recorded 67.7% births and only 21.4% deaths. 
  • In Sikkim, there was 100% registration of deaths, but 61.2% registration of births.
  • Mizoram and Tripura reported 100% registration of both births and deaths.
  • Meghalaya had 100% registration of births and 97.6% registration of deaths.
  • Assam reported 100% registration of births and 74% registration of deaths.

Image Courtesy: TH

 Significance

• Improves better functioning of Government: Countries need to know how many people are born and die each year and the main causes of their deaths – in order to have well-functioning health systems. Civil registration provides the basis for the individual legal identity of a citizen and helps the government give them access to their rights as a citizen, including entitlements to social security benefits if any.
• Easy tracking of citizens: The only way to track every citizen is through civil registration. It will help in making better and efficient inclusion and exclusion lists for Schemes.
• Correct and up to date Data: For the government, the requirement of a complete CRS system is a must as the data generated through a complete and up-to-date CRS is essential for socio-economic planning and evaluating the effectiveness of various social sector programs.
• Helpful in medical research: At the national level, the vital statistics data generated through Civil Registration is also quite useful for medical research and in the study of sex ratio, mortality and morbidity rates and also in the study of causes of deaths.

Conclusion

• Taking together the level of birth and death registration having 90 percent and more in both among major States, only 9 States have achieved the milestone namely, Telangana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.

Sources: TH