Using the eGovernance platform to register births and apply for birth certificates
The Indian Government worked on and created an eGovernance platform that they are using to communicate with people and assist them with applying for their documentation. eGovernance is the Government using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at various levels to provide citizens with services, connections and interactions with business enterprises and communication between multiple agencies of the Government. They would ideally do this in a speedy, convenient, efficient and transparent way. The platform created the opinion of working with various independent systems between government to citizen (G2C), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-government (G2G), government-to-employees (G2E) and back-office interactions and processes. Additionally, they can also use the platform to gather information about National Conferences and e-services, awards schemes, and so many more programs and events.
India has created a lot of documentation requirements that have to be met by the citizens.
People need to apply for their Aadhaar card, which is their main identification documents, their Voter ID, which is a requirement if they want to vote in an election, their driver’s licence, if they are planning on driving or riding, their PAN card, if they want to interact and coordinate with any financial institutions, along with many more documents.
eGovernance platforms assist with other processes that relate and work directly with various Government offices. When it comes to making payments or coordinating with the right departments, the eGovernance website provides one place where individuals can use their same accounts to pay all their bills. Here are some of the other services that an applicant can go through on an eGovernance website.
- Online Payment such as electricity, water tax etc.
- Online Registration
- Download Records
- Online Complaint
While the actual uses and purposes for all Government-regulated documents stay the same throughout the country, there are a few variations when it comes to applying for them, depending on the state where an applicant goes through the process. Instead of running multiple programs through various Government websites, all the application forms were uploaded on one website, and everything is put up in the same place. The process was a lot more convenient cause people could download their application forms without too much trouble, or they could go through the process and upload their information and content to the website and have it handled directly.
Although the eGovernance platform came into play, the Government made sure that people could still handle the same process through the offices as well. While applying for any document offline at the office was a tedious process, involving the coordination between various departments, some preferred it as an alternative. Between working on multiple registration processes online or at the office, there was a significant benefit since it reduced the number of people, forced to coordinate with the office. Additionally, there was an increase in the number of people getting through the process, since it was a lot more convenient through the eGovernance platform and people could get their forms, collect their requirements, and get through the process whenever they found it beneficial for themselves.
Internet connectivity extends through the largest part of India, and while everyone might not have computers, they do have it on their phones. With that information, all the eGovernance websites were now mobile optimised, which makes it easier to use and download the forms on the go.
When using most eGovernment processes, people usually have to create an account on the website that they would use when they are interacting with the website. Depending on the application process that they are working on, whether the birth certificate process, death certificate, marriage certificate, inheritance certificate and so on, they can download the forms and get through it in almost no time. If they want an update after submitting all their information, they can log onto their account, and would receive an update on the stage of the process that they are at and their next steps.
The most popular process that the platform is used for is coordinating getting a birth certificate. Before beginning the process, the parents have to register the birth of the child with the proper authorities. According to the rules in the country, it has to be complete in 21 days after birth. In most cases, the hospital where the child was born usually handles the process, but there are exceptions.
The documents needed when registering a birth are:
- Proof of a birth letter from the hospital (provided by a proper and registered hospital)
- The birth and marriage certificates of the parent
- Address proof (Voter-ID, electricity/gas/water/telephone bill, expedite passport, ration card, Aadhaar card, etc.).
If the hospital authorities did not assist with the process, an individual can choose to handle it themselves, but would still have to get a certificate from the hospital though. After registering the birth though, they would receive abirth certificate as proof of the registration.
A birth certificate is one of the most important documents that a person has access to since they need it for all their application processes moving forward. However, the primary purpose of the certificate is to provide proof of the individual’s age, which is mandatory when applying for other paperwork. A birth certificate usually has the name, sex, parent’s names, the individual’s date and place of birth mentioned on it.
The eGovernance platform would coordinate getting a birth registrationthrough the Registrar of Births and Deaths, and it would provide the information back through the portal. Other than the Registrar, no other platform can handle birth certificates or registrations, although there would be many who would be more than happy to assist with the process completely.
