India, Aug. 12 -- Dr Babita Kamlapurkar, deputy director, health services issued a note on Monday on mandatory registration of births and deaths.

"The first copy of a birth or death certificate is issued free of cost and additional copies can be obtained on payment. Corrections are allowed under certain conditions, and foreign births can be registered at Indian embassies abroad and later in India, though foreign deaths cannot be registered here," she said.

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, implemented by the central government, governs the registration process. For births or deaths at home, the head of the family is responsible for reporting them, officials said, adding that birth registration can be done without a name, ...