The government of Gujarat has just taken a crucial move in the realm of digital governance by revealing that online birth and death certificates with the use of digital signatures are now fully valid in all official and legal matters. The action will ease the process of accessing public services, increase transparency, and remove the necessity of citizens having to acquire physical copies in the local offices.
A notification issued by the official department in charge of Health, Medical Services, and Medical Education has ordered all government, semi-government and private institutions in Gujarat to accept digitally signed certificates created using the portal of the Civil Registration System (CRS). The digital signature of the registrar or sub-registrar will be embedded on these certificates, which will make them legitimate and authentic.
This move comes after the state shifted to the centralized CRS platform that will be required in the whole of Gujarat beginning September 1, 2025. The management of the CRS system is handled by the Office of the Registrar General of India and offers a single, online system of registering deaths and births. The new system is an alternative to the older state-level application, which had to be signed manually and physically verified.
According to the officials, the citizens are now able to download their birth or death certificates directly through the CRS portal, or they can receive the same through e-mail. The certificates are printable and applicable to all administrative, educational and legal procedures that involve passport applications, admission to schools, insurance claims and pension benefits.
The authorities added that such a decision will not only simplify the process and increase its speed, but will also decrease the chances of forgery and data manipulation. The digitally signed certificates have their own registration numbers and can be verified online, and hence, the department can easily verify that the certificate is authentic.
The decision was celebrated by State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel, who mentioned that Gujarat remains at the forefront in digitalizing the services of the population. The delivery speed, transparency, and consistency are guaranteed by the application of digitally signed certificates. It is also another step towards creating a paperless administrative system by the government, he added.
Analysts feel that the relocation will go a long way to help the citizens, especially those in the rural and remote regions, by saving them the hassle of visiting government offices. The government is also strategizing to create awareness that would enable citizens to access and validate these digital documents.
Under this reform, Gujarat is now in the list of states to adopt digitally authenticated vital records, and it is a big step toward a wholly digital and transparent governance model.
