Punjab govt implements new rules for birth and death registration

LAHORE: The Punjab government has officially enacted new rules for registration of births and deaths, aimed at making the process easier, faster and more accessible for citizens across the province.

According to a notification issued through the Punjab Gazette, the Local Government Department has completed the legislative process and introduced a new framework that streamlines responsibilities and removes unnecessary hurdles in the registration process.

Under the new rules, birth registration of children up to the age of seven will now be completely free. Furthermore, clear responsibilities have been outlined for different age brackets:

Births up to one year will be registered through the secretary of the concerned union council.

Births up to the age of seven will come under the jurisdiction of the assistant director.

For children above the age of seven, registration will be done by the deputy director.

The changes are aimed at decentralizing and expediting the registration process, ensuring that citizens do not face bureaucratic delays.

In parallel with this initiative, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has developed a mobile application to enable online registration of births, deaths and changes in marital status. A NADRA spokesperson confirmed that the app will be introduced in Punjab first, with a wider expansion planned.

The mobile app allows citizens to register life events from their homes through a user-friendly interface and biometric verification, which is being activated in union councils across Punjab. The authority is also setting up one-window counters in union councils in Islamabad for further convenience of the public.

In another important development, NADRA has joined hands with provincial governments to implement a digital registration system in hospitals and healthcare centres, bringing the process of birth and death verification directly to medical facilities.