April 10: The Department of National ID and Civil Registration has come up with a new circular for issuing a birth certificate to a non-marital child. The fresh circular mandates the authorities concerned to record the birth details of a child born to a single mother and whose paternal lineage remains unidentified in mother's surname along with her address.    
Earlier, on April 5, the department added a new provision targeting a non-marital child with unidentified paternal lineage. The circular was for issuing birth certificate to such child with the surname of his/her maternal family. The circular received widespread criticism, citing it a case of gender-based discrimination against women as it disapproved the independent identity of a woman in case the father of the child gets identified.
Director General of the department Rudra Prasad Pundit said the provision was revised following the public concerns over the previous circular.    
Similarly, the clause requiring cancellation of the birth registration issued under this category and the issuance of a new certificate with the address of the father if the identity of the child's father is ascertained was also revised. Now in such situation, the new birth certificate shall be issued with the father's surname or mother's or of both. -- RSS