Published: 12:00 AM, 07 October 2026
‘Birth, death registration services to reach people thru village govt’
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, MP on Tuesday said the government is planning to revive the village government system at the grassroots level to ensure easy and accurate delivery of civic services to people in remote areas of the country.
As part of the initiative, the government is considering operating birth and death registration services through the local administration to make the registration process more accurate and well-organised, he said.
The state minister said this while speaking as the special guest at a programme organised in the capital's Hotel Sonargaon to mark National Birth and Death Registration Day, BSS reports.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan attended the programme as the chief guest.
The state minister said, "At present, various errors and complications are emerging in the management of birth and death registration data. It becomes difficult to formulate proper plans without an accurate count of the country's total population. It is extremely important to have an accurate database to assess food demand, meet nutritional needs, conduct vaccination programmes for children and ensure other essential services."
Referring to the birth registration certificate as the first step towards establishing a child's legal identity and rights, he said, "A child's date of birth, place of birth, paternity and maternity, and nationality are established on the basis of the birth registration certificate."
He said a decision has been taken to restore the village government system in the country based on initiatives taken by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia.
He said an initiative is being taken to formulate a new and timely "Village Government Act" by integrating the village government-related laws of 1980 and 2003.
The state minister said powers and responsibilities would be delegated at the ward and union parishad levels through the system to bring birth and death registration services closer to grassroots people.
This would reduce people's sufferings in receiving services and make it possible to prevent fake and duplicate entries in the database, he added.
He said the government has already taken an initiative to introduce a "single digital ID" (One Citizen, One ID) and a digital wallet for every citizen.
At the same time, the Birth and Death Registration Information System, known as "BDRIS", is being revamped. BDRIS is the primary system of this initiative in the birth and death registration system, he said.
Therefore, if information in this system is incorrect, the government's initiative will face a threat, he said.
The state minister further said the present government is working to build a liveable, safe, modern and democratic state for the people without presenting any imaginary development or unrealistic dreams, where the security of every citizen, food security and good governance will be ensured.
Local Government Division Secretary Md. Shahidul Hasan chaired the programme.
Information and Communication Technology Division Secretary Md. Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Cabinet Division Secretary (Coordination and Reform) Farah Shammi, Head of Development Cooperation of the European Union Delegation in Dhaka Dr Michal Krejza and UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Gillian Mellsop, among others, attended the programme as invited guests along with relevant officials.
