By - Moa Jamir
The Civil Registration System (CRS) Report 2022 released recently underscores a persistent and worrying trend in Nagaland’s vital statistics management. The State recorded only 2.1% of 80,813 births as registered within the legally mandated 21-day period—translating to just 1,709 timely entries. Over 74,000 births were registered only after one year.
Nagaland’s performance on timely death registration is also poor, with only 30.7% of 3,824 deaths registered within 21 days, and over 1,500 cases registered after one year. In fact, this reflects a slight decline from previous years—35.9% in 2021 and 33.8% in 2020. These figures place Nagaland among the bottom-ranked states in India, ahead of only Arunachal Pradesh in both birth and death registration, and carry significant implications for governance, planning, and citizens' access to rights and entitlements.
These shortcomings come in contrast to the multiple efforts initiated by the Department of Economics & Statistics, as reflected in news reports in the recent past. Nagaland launched online registration services as early as April 2022 and was the first in the North-East to implement Aadhaar Linked Birth Registration (ALBR) in August 2023.
As per departmental data, online registration has been activated in 12 district headquarters, with plans to extend it in a phase-wise manner across all 1,471 registration centres—1,439 rural and 32 urban. The state also claims to have integrated registration units in PHCs, CHCs, government hospitals, and municipal offices, supported by statistical staff and field investigators. This number may have increased further. These steps were expected to ease access to registration and improve coverage.
Meanwhile, periodic Inter-Departmental Coordination Committee (IDCC) meetings, notably those in July 2022 and October 2024, have flagged key operational issues. These include delays in report submission, lack of IT infrastructure, limited awareness among stakeholders, and the need for regular training.
The 2024 meeting specifically identified delayed registration and lack of proper documentation for Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate (IIC) applications as challenges. It also discussed training at the block level, use of CRS software, and the potential inclusion of middle and high school teachers as registrars.
Efforts at public sensitisation also appear to have been made. A 2021 awareness video on birth and death certificates has amassed over 579,000 views, signifying wide reach.
Despite these ongoing efforts and visible institutional will, the expected improvements have not materialised on the ground. A large portion of the population appears to remain outside the timely registration net. The reasons may be varied: lack of awareness, difficulty accessing registration centres, digital divide, low prioritisation by families, or possibly even a lack of urgency among implementing staff. The fact that over 74,000 births in 2022 were registered after one year signals a systemic issue, not just a communication gap.
The data from CRS 2022 and continuing operational barriers indicate a gap between policy and practice. The October 2024 IDCC meeting rightly focused on practical matters like equipping registrars with better infrastructure, clarifying procedures for delayed registration, and considering incentives for field-level staff. These are necessary steps.
Assuming that the initiatives undertaken after 2022 will bear fruit, future reports may show improvement. However, while launching new initiatives is welcome, it must be complemented by ensuring that existing mechanisms function effectively, reach every citizen, and are backed by real-time accountability and local-level responsiveness. The real work must begin at the grassroots level, where timely registration and coverage are the most critical criteria.
For any feedback, drop a line to jamir.moa@gmail.com
