Under the new Model rules issued, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs now mandates parents to provide both parents' religion in the birth report of a newborn. The new rule has to be notified to the state governments and adopted before it gets implemented. 

Previously, the birth report had to state the 'religion of the family' for registration. Now, the new form called 'Form No.1-Birth Report' requires information on the religion of the child, the religion of the father, and the religion of the mother. The same changes also apply for an adopted child. 

The government is also preparing to create a national database under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, passed by the Parliament on Agust 11, 2023. The database will be used for updating various important records like voter lists, Aadhaar numbers, National Population Register (NPR), passports, ration cards, property records, driving licenses, and other similar databases. 

The law passed on October 1, 2023, also mandates the registration of birth certificates online through the Centre’s portal for the Civil Registration System.

The digital birth certificate provided by the government will be recognised as the only document required to get several important services. These include being on the voters' list, enrolling on educational institutes, getting a driver's license, registering marriages, getting an Aadhaar number, applying for government jobs, and other services. 

Speaking of the new law last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said, “It will help create database of registered births and deaths which eventually would ensure efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits and digital registration"

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