QUETTA: Secretary Local Government (LG) Balochistan Abdul Rauf Baloch on Friday chaired a meeting regarding increasing birth registration in the province.
The meeting was attended by Director General of Local Government Department, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Director General of B.I.S.P., Chief of Foreign Aid Najeeb Babari, Deputy Secretary of Local Government Department Syed Maqsood Anwar, Deputy Secretary of Education Department Mehmoodul Hasan, Director NADRA, Health Department Officer, Child Protection Officer UNICEF and other high officials.
The meeting was told that the responsibility of birth registration, marriage, divorce and death registration was the constitutional mandate of the Local Government Department under the Balochistan Local Government Act 2010 and 2020.
It was informed in the meeting that the period of normal birth registration would be increased from sixty days to one year,
the fee of which was 100 rupees while there were clear procedures for registration from one year to twenty years.
The total number of Union Council of Balochistan is 1043 while inline CR. S. The number of Union Councils is 515
And 63 are urban CSRMs said in the meeting, the meeting was told.
The participants of the meeting were further informed that 6279 birth registrations, 3557 death certificates, 94 divorce certificates and 3089 marriage certificates had been issued in the last month of June. The Municipalities Department of the Government of Balochistan are continuing to inform the common people of Balochistan by messages on mosques, schools, Pena Flex, and large signboards on social media so that people register as much as possible, they were told.
Addressing the meeting, Secretary Local Government Abdul Rauf Baloch said that protection of children’s rights, their prosperity and safe childhood was the basic right of every child and their rights would get legal status only with birth registration. He said that the provincial government was ensuring the provision of birth registration in BHUs and educational instit
utions of the health department at the lowest level.
The Government of Balochistan considers birth registration as a fundamental right of every child and the first to obtain legal documents and in the way of this, the co-ordination of the Department of Local Government is being made more efficient and with the support of NADRA at the departmental level, complete digital data entry is also being implemented, he maintained.
He further said that it was impossible to get other legal documents like ID Card without birth registration, birth registration was the basic and legal identity and right of the child.
He said that the health department should keep a complete record of children born in government hospitals and primary health centers.
While keeping a complete record of children entering schools and provide to Union Council of Local Government Department, birth registration completes your child’s access to education, health care, inheritance and legal identity which shape the child’s future and start such
a safe and happy life, he noted.
Rauf Baloch urged parents to ensure birth registration immediately after the birth of the child and for this you should contact the birth registration office at your local civil and immigration council.
He further said that the Government of Balochistan, Municipalities Department would waive the registration fee charged for birth registration as soon as possible with the full cooperation of Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Bugti.
The Secretary said that 60 days would be expanded for one year and to raise more awareness among the general public, the Public Relations Department and the Department of Municipalities would cooperate with the Department of Health and the Department of Education to conduct digital awareness and would soon take steps to implement a memorandum of understanding.