PATNA, June 16 -- Bihar is planning to authorise private clinics and doctors to register births and deaths directly on the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal as part of efforts to achieve universal registration across the state, development commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh hinted during a workshop on strengthening Bihar's Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system on Monday. During the workshop, Singh directed the Department of Economics and Statistics to prepare a proposal for the Registrar General of India (RGI) seeking permission for doctors at private healthcare facilities registered under the Clinical Establishments Act to record births and deaths on the CRS portal. The move comes as Bihar records over 90% birth registration coverage but only around 64% death registration. While 72% of male deaths are registered, coverage for female deaths stands at 56%. Singh said that authorising private healthcare facilities would help ensure registration at the point of occurrence, noting that institutional deliveries in the state have crossed 90%. He also called for regulatory measures to improve universal registration, particularly for non-institutional births through Panchayati Raj Institutions. To strengthen the registration system, Singh proposed linking school admissions with birth certificates and authorising officials at crematoriums and burial grounds to facilitate death registration, reducing the burden on bereaved families. He directed the Planning and Development Department to prepare proposals for submission to the RGI. Additional chief secretary N Vijayalaxmi said the department was exploring the possibility of bringing marriage registration under its ambit, alongside birth and death registration. She stressed that timely and accurate registration is essential for evidence-based policymaking and effective governance, while calling for stronger inter-departmental coordination and streamlined procedures. Planning and development minister Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha highlighted the role of universal registration in safeguarding citizens' rights, improving welfare delivery and strengthening governance. He urged officials to intensify awareness campaigns, particularly in rural and remote areas. UNICEF Bihar chief Dr Monika Nielsen said that after achieving over 90% birth registration coverage, the focus should shift to ensuring that every birth and death is registered completely, accurately and on time. The Assessment, Analysis and Redesign (AAR) Report, prepared by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics in collaboration with UNICEF and UNESCAP, recommends decentralising registration services to the gram panchayat level, engaging frontline workers as event notifiers, strengthening awareness campaigns, introducing standard operating procedures, improving real-time monitoring and integrating birth registration with hospital discharge processes. The report also calls for addressing staffing shortages, enhancing technical capacity and improving mortality data through better medical certification of causes of death....