Move is to curb identity fraud, says government; Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Assam exempt for now.

Terming it a move to curb identity fraud, the government on Friday made Aadhaar numbers a pre-requisite for issuing death certificates to residents of all States, barring Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Assam, in order to establish the identity of the deceased. The order comes into effect from October 1, 2017. A date will be notified separately for the three States, the Home Ministry said in a statement.

If a person applying for the death certificate is not aware of the Aadhaar number or Aadhaar enrolment ID Number (EID) of the deceased, he or she would be required to provide a certificate stating that the deceased person does not possess an Aadhaar number to the best of her or his knowledge, the statement said.

However, any false declaration given by the applicant would be treated as an offence as per the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and also the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969, it said.

“Applicant’s Aadhaar number shall also be collected along with the Aadhaar number of the spouse or parents,” the Ministry said, citing a notification issued by the Registrar General of India (RGI), which is entrusted with conducting the country’s census and maintaining the register of births and deaths.

“In a notification issued today, the RGI under the Ministry of Home Affairs has said the use of Aadhaar for the applicants of the death certificate will result in ensuring accuracy of the details provided by the relatives/ dependents / acquaintances of the deceased. It will provide an effective method to prevent identity fraud. It will also help in recording the identity of a deceased person,” the statement said.

It claimed that this would obviate need to produce multiple documents to prove the identity of a deceased person. The RGI has directed the departments concerned in all States and Union Territories responsible for the registration of birth and death to ensure compliance with the registration authorities concerned and a confirmation to this effect by September 1, 2017.

A Ministry spokesperson told The Hindu the effective date for the new rule will be October 1 and the States will have to inform the Centre about their preparedness for the new system by September 1.

Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act 2016 permits the use of Aadhaar number for establishing the identity of an individual for any purpose pursuant to any law or any contract to this effect.The registration of births and deaths are being done under the provisions of Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 and the corresponding Rules made by State governments.