The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969

(1) This Act may be called the Registration of Birthsand Deaths Act, 1969. (2) It extends to the whole of India. (3) It shall come into force in a State on such date 1as the Central Government may, by notification inthe Official Gazette, appoint: Provided that different dates may be appointed for different parts of a State.

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) "birth" means live-birth or still-birth; (b) "death" means the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live-birthhas taken place; (c) "foetal death" means absence of all evidence of life prior to the complete expulsion orextraction from its mother of a product of conception irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; (d) "live-birth" means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product ofconception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such expulsion or extraction,breathes or show any other evidence of life, and each product of such birth is considered live-born; (e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (f) "State Government", in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereof; (g) "still-birth" means foetal death where a product of conception has attained at least theprescribed period of gestation. (2) Any reference in this Act to any law which is not in force in any area shall, in relation to that area,be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the OfficialGazette, appoint a person to be known as the Registrar-General, India. (2) The Central Government may also appoint such other officers with such designations as it thinksfit for the purpose of discharging under the superintendence and direction of the Registrar-General, suchfunctions of the Registrar-General under this Act as he may, from time to time, authorise them todischarge. (3) The Registrar-General may issue general directions regarding registration of births and deaths inthe territories to which this Act extends, and shall take steps to co-ordinate and unify the activities ofChief Registrars in the matter of registration of births and deaths and submit to the Central Governmentan annual report on the working of this Act in the said territories.

(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appointa Chief Registrar for the State. (2) The State Government may also appoint such other officers with such designations as it thinks fitfor the purpose of discharging, under the superintendence and direction of the Chief Registrar, such of hisfunctions as he may, from time to time, authorise them to discharge. (3) The Chief Registrar shall be the chief executive authority in the State for carrying into executionthe provisions of this Act and the rules and orders made thereunder subject to the directions, if any, givenby the State Government. (4) The Chief Registrar shall take steps, by the issue of suitable instructions or otherwise, toco-ordinate, unity and supervise the work of registration in the State for securing an efficient system ofregistration and shall prepare and submit to the State Government, in such manner and at such intervals asmay be prescribed, a report on the working of this Act in the State along with the statistical report to insub-section (2) of section 19.

The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,divide the territory within the State into such registration divisions as it may think fit and prescribedifferent rules for different registration divisions.