Maharashtra government amends birth, death registration laws to curb fake certificates

In an attempt to curb fake registration of births and deaths by foreign nationals, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday amended the 'Birth and Death Registration Act of 1969' and 'Maharashtra Birth and Death Registration Rules of 2000' and issued a new notification. According to Maharashtra Revenue Minister and BJP MLA Chandrashekhar Bawankule, foreign nationals are taking undue advantage of loopholes in the government system to obtain birth and death registration certificates. "Foreign nationals by bribing the local officials and misusing the loopholes of the system, used to obtain the birth and death certificates to establish themselves as citizens of Maharashtra and India. Besides, for the death registration, the post mortem report, copy of the FIR or any evidence given by competent authority should be submitted while for the birth certificate, the certificate issued by nursing home, if delivery took place at home, the woman who helped for delivery, her affidavit should be submitted to obtain the birth certificate," the minister stated.