Based on the State and Country an individual is getting married in, the rules around marriage ceremonies during the Coronavirus pandemic are regularly changing. For instance, a few months ago, the United States allowed people to gather in small gatherings of 50 for a wedding, which was soon reviewed to allow only 20 people, with more than that considered unsafe, in light of the pandemic. The United Kingdom saw a similar situation, allowing weddings with up to 30 people, while Northern Ireland allows outdoor weddings with ten people. Wales and Scotland, on the other hand, are now taking all precautions and allowing weddings, following the social distancing norms. The future of wedding celebrations is changing as we know it, with many wedding planners and organizers mentioning that they will not be the same moving forward.
What are some of the changes that weddings are going to see moving forward?
Other than the overall issues with gathering, a lot of people are considering organizing smaller parties instead of large extravagant ones. A large number of couples have lost their deposits on various aspects of their weddings because of the unforeseen pandemic they are now considering smaller parties since they cannot even begin planning a date to reschedule their wedding.
One of the couples put down more than a quarter of a million pounds for their wedding celebration, and are now considering having a small gathering in their backyard for their wedding. The UK has seen many couples call off their weddings completely, instead of even considering rescheduling.
With the number of weddings cancelled in the last wedding season, it seems unlikely that wedding venues will even be able to keep up. Furthermore, many couples are even suggesting moving the wedding to the same date, the following year, which might not always be possible with multiple dates already blocked out.
Furthermore, social distancing seems to be the norm which means everyone at the wedding has to maintain their distance. Further implying that dancing, hugging and handshaking will be off-limits. Not forgetting that there will only be a small number of people there and venues are possibly closed till the virus clears to a greater extent which could take the better part of the year. Additionally, wedding venues will have to maintain the records of their guests for about two to three weeks post the celebration in case one of the guests gets sick and then have to test all the others. The consumption of food and drinks is not ideal since that can cause an issue.
What is the process of registering a marriage in India?
In India, the registration process for marriages can take place online or offline, allowing people to travel to the nearest office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate or go through it online. They have to visit the office that they come under, depending on their address. All the documents have to be submitted there, and they will receive an appointment for them to show up with the witnesses and have all the final details finalised.
For Marriage Certificate click here
New birth certificate registration in India
A birth certificate is a legal record of the birth of an individual. It is an official document that proves the person’s existence. A new birth certificate certifies all the circumstances of birth such as the date and time of the birth of the child, a certified copy that ensures registration of birth of that child.
Documents required for registration
For the registration of birth certificate, India, the following documents are required to be submitted along with the application form –
- Birth certificate of both the parents
- Identity proof of the parents of the child, for verification purpose
- Proof of birth of the child in the hospital
- Marriage certificate of parents
If the information given in the birth certificate false such as the date or time of birth. This is a problematic issue. It is even lost in some cases, and causes huge problems for the individual. Hence, a new birth certificate is re-issued in such a case. For re-issuing a birth certificate, the documents needed are as follows –
- Applicant’s photograph to be pasted in the form
- Identity proof of the applicant that can be a driving license, passport, PAN card, voter ID card etc.
- Class 10thmark sheet
- Proof of residence such as an electricity bill, bank passbook, gas bill, water bill etc.
- An affidavit of the parents/ sibling/ close relative of the applicant, stating the accurate and correct time, date, year and place of birth of the applicant.
Birth registration facts, India
- Under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, every individual needs to get a birth certificate registered which was made compulsory for all. Even then, out of 26 million births that take place in a year, only 14 million of them are registered in India.
- In states like Kerala and Goa, almost 1005 of births get registered yearly. For states like Haryana and Karnataka, approximately 75% of births are registered while in Bihar, the percentile is only about 20%.
- As per the Vital Statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System, 2016, only 4.5 crore births had been registered in the years 2015-2016, whereas the total number of births that took place on record was nearly 5.2 crore.
- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar stand as the two states with the lowest levels of birth registration in India.
- Children who do not possess a birth certificate are more likely to be in danger of working in an unsafe environment and prone to human trafficking.
- 41% of the children whose mothers had no educational qualification, had their births registered, while in case of the children whose mothers had at least 12 years of education, the percentage increased up to 77%.
- In one of the statements made by Yogendra Mann – director of Information and Publicity of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, it was stated that due to lack of nursing homes and hospitals in most of the rural areas, people prefer births taking place in the house, due to which they lack the awareness of birth registration.
What are importance of Death Certificate
- A death certificateis an official document that is issued by the government for the deceased. It is issued to the nearest relative of the dead, stating the date, facts, and cause of death. It is compulsory under the law to register every death with the respective state government within 21 days of its occurrence. Anyone, such as a family member or someone close who has witnessed the death, can note the date and time of the death. If the death has happened in a hospital, it is the responsibility of the doctor by issuing a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD). Under the Registration of Births and Deaths act in 1969, registration of death became important. The death certificate is a document that is of immense legal and medical importance; hence, it should be filled up correctly.
IMPORTANCE
- The following are the essential aspects of the MCCD or the death certificate:
- Legal and protective uses:
- A death certificate is necessary for claiming family allowance, life insurance claims, settling inheritance/ property claims. Also, it is necessary for deleting the name of the deceased from the ration card, voter’s list or employ’s register, etc.
- Administrative uses:
- It is needed as an indicator of the number of deaths in a year or so, in existence and spread of infection and epidemic diseases, and the need for immediate control measures. It is crucial for accident prevention and eradication programs.
- Statistical uses:
- For the government to plan and evaluate development plans and for public health and medical research, the death certificate is essential. It is crucial in the study of mortality and the pattern in mortality by age, sex, and cause. Hence, the registration records are useful mainly as legal documents but also as a source of vital statistics.
ROLE OF MEDICAL OFFICER/ PRACTIONER WHO ATTENDED THE PATIENT
- The medical officer has two important tasks at hand:
- Diagnose the occurrence of death. Once the attendant has concluded that the person is dead, a “DEATH REPORT” is required, which is further forwarded to the Death Registry Authority.
- To declare the cause of death, it can be traced according to the events that eventually resulted in death.
PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE:
- The death events are noted down at the place of occurrenRegistrar with the date and time, in the office of the Registrar of births and deaths for that area.
- The head of the house, any family member, in charge of a medical institution needs to state the facts of the death according to the RBD act, 1969, along with certain particulars about the deceased tRegistraristrar of Birth and Death of that area.
- Every registrar maintains a register that consists of three parts – live births, stillbirths, deaths, respectively. The certificate of death can be obtained from the registrar, which has all the facts of the death, but no disclosure is made regarding the cause of death.
- The Registrar issues the medical certificate (MCCD), and the registrar further issues the death certificate.