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The Union Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil launched here today the second phase of the National Campaign on Birth Certificates. Birth Certificates were given to 18 children to mark the launch. The campaign aims at providing birth certificates to all children born during the last ten years. The first phase of the campaign organized during 2003-04 resulted in the issue of more than 3.04 crore of birth certificates.
Launching the 2nd phase of campaign, the Home Minister stressed the importance of birth registration as a first step in recognizing the existence of the child. He said that as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, India is committed to ensure registration of every birth and expressed confidence that India would achieve 100% registration of births by 2010 as targeted in the National Population Policy 2000. Shri Patil stressed the need for evolving a system of reporting of births to the registrar and delivery of certificates through grassroots workers. He also stressed the importance of delivery of certificates soon after the registration of births so that backlogs do not build up.
In her address, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit underlined the importance of birth registration and lauded the initiative of the Central Government in organizing the campaign that would benefit those living in the cities like Delhi as well as in rural areas.
On the occasion, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi made a presentation on the birth and death registration system in the capital which has made it easy for the citizen to access the services and for the Government to monitor births and deaths.
The Campaign has been launched in the backdrop of the backlog in registration of births and issue of certificates that have accumulated over the years. Though it is compulsory to register every birth, there has been under-registration in the past. It is also mandatory to issue a birth certificate soon after registration. However, this could not be done due to some difficulties in reaching the concerned families.
During the second phase of the Campaign, the registered children who were not covered in the first phase as well as the unregistered children would be targeted. The states which could not do well in the first phase of the Campaign due to various reasons would make efforts to cover all the children.
UNICEF shall be providing support to the State governments for improving the birth registration. The Office of the Registrar General of India and state governments are working together with UNICEF for increasing public awareness about the need and importance of the birth registration and providing training to registration functionaries. State specific plans of action are being prepared for this purpose.
The Minister of State for Home, Shri Manikrao Gavit was among those present at today’s function.
OK/RCP/AD/MM
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