Patna: In a significant step towards administrative decentralisation, the Bihar government will soon begin issuing birth and death certificates directly through gram panchayats, eliminating the need for rural residents to visit block offices.
The Directorate of Economics and Statistics has initiated preparations to implement this system, which will empower Panchayat Secretaries to process and issue certificates from dedicated counters within Panchayat Government Bhawans. The move is expected to save time, money, and effort for villagers, who currently face long queues, understaffed counters, and reliance on middlemen at block offices.
Currently, around 3 million birth certificates are issued annually in Bihar, but rural areas remain underrepresented due to access challenges. To address this, the government is conducting Gram Vikas camps across panchayats, helping citizens—particularly children without official documentation—secure birth certificates as part of a data correction campaign.
Under the proposed system:
Applications filed within 30 days of a birth or death will be processed by the Panchayat Secretary.
Those submitted between one month and a year will require verification by block-level statistical officials.
Applications older than a year will need a recommendation from the Block Development Officer (BDO).
In the coming weeks, the proposal will be submitted for final approval by the state government. Dedicated counters are also being set up at panchayat offices to streamline the process.
Urban residents, who still depend on registrars for certificates, have urged the government to implement similar reforms at the ward level, citing similar difficulties in access and service.
