Minister Urges Elimination Of Civil Registry Discrepancies

Emphasizing structural data integrity over standalone algorithmic automation, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan has called for eliminating substantial discrepancies between national census figures and civil registry databases. He affirmed that computational tools alone cannot optimize citizen outcomes unless administrative personnel operate with heightened transparency and accountability.

According to official sources, the remarks were made on Tuesday, October 6, during a symposium commemorating ‘National Birth and Death Registration Day 2026’ hosted by the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam attended as special guest.

Delivering the chief guest address, Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan stated that both state bureaucrats and elected representatives share an identical mandate—uncompromising citizen service delivery. Highlighting the database anomalies, he expressed concern that a country of approximately 190 million citizens hosts an inflated registry containing significantly higher records, underscoring that database reconciliation is urgent. He ordered local administrators to ensure rural citizens never face recurrent institutional harassment when securing fundamental birth documentation from Union Parishad offices.

In his address, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam acknowledged the foundational reforms introduced by Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, noting that the modern registry incorporating maternal identity was launched in 2001 alongside UNICEF. He pointed out that while birth registrations total 248.8 million and death records stand at 5.819 million, national census data pegs the actual populace around 170 million, necessitating a technical audit to resolve the mismatch.

The State Minister framed the Birth and Death Registration Information System (BDRIS) as a foundational stepping stone for the envisioned ‘One Citizen, One ID, One Digital Wallet’ architecture. He added that the strategic policy decision to reintroduce the 'Gram Sarkar' local governance tier conceived by Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia will refine grassroots data accuracy.

The event presented excellence awards across categories to the Deputy Director of Local Government (Dhaka), Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Shibganj, Bangladesh Consulate General in Dubai, Dhaka Cantonment Board, Dhaka North, Dhaka South, and Rajshahi City Corporations, alongside diverse municipalities and Union Parishads. Chaired by Local Government Division Secretary Md. Shahidul Hassan, the gathering featured ICT Division Secretary Md. Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Cabinet Division Secretary (Coordination & Reforms) Farah Shammi, EU Delegation Head of Development Cooperation Dr. Michal Krejza, and UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Gillian Mellsop.

 //DBTech/HMC/SAP/BPO//