CPI(M)  Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on October 28

THE proposed amendment of the law to enable the centre to maintain the database of registered births and deaths at the national level is an unwarranted step of centralisation.

At present, the registration of births and deaths is under the purview of the state governments.

The amendment proposed to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 providing for the centre to maintain the database is to facilitate the updating of the National Population Register (NPR) which is the basis on which the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is to be prepared.  This NPR-NRC, along with the Citizenship Amendment Act, is going to be an exclusionary and divisive step.

Further the centralisation of this database is meant to strengthen the surveillance regime already in place.

The CPI(M) demands that the registration of births and deaths be continued under the jurisdiction of the states.