The Meghalaya government has issued a notification to suspend the need for babies to be immunised before they are issued a birth certificate.
An order by the Governor was passed on March 18 and shared with the press today. In it, the government stated that it has become apparent that the precondition for immunisation for issuance of birth certificate “has led to considerable delays in the registration of births”.
Such delays have had a knock-on effect, preventing parents from registering their babies for Aadhaar cards and thereby affecting their eligibility for government welfare schemes, particularly the Integrated Child Development Services. Aadhaar is necessary to avail of such benefits, including supplementary nutrition, healthcare and early childhood education. Delays could deprive the children of their rightful entitlements.
The state government has therefore suspended the immunisation prerequisite for birth certificates for a period of two months to facilitate immediate Aadhaar enrolment.
All district registrars shall now issue birth certificates to all applicants “irrespective of the immunisation status of the child.” However, the immunisation status will be recorded separately and unvaccinated children can be pursued as part of routine immunisation drives. The state government will continue to push for childhood immunisation.
