Birth, death, marriage and divorce registration goes online in Sindh

In a major push towards digital governance, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah launched the Civil Registration Management System mobile application - a platform that now enables citizens to register birth, death, marriage and divorce online, without visiting any government or relevant office.

Calling the initiative a 'milestone in Sindh's transition to a digital future', the chief minister said, the system would eliminate queues, paperwork and delays, and make essential services accessible to people across the province, particularly those living in remote and underserved areas.

Registrations at doorsteps

The Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) mobile app, developed in collaboration with NADRA, is part of the larger Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) system approved at a cost of Rs471 million. The system will cover 30 districts and 769 health facilities, ensuring that 85% of births occurring in public and private hospitals are registered digitally.

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Shah said the app would also integrate vaccination records, disease surveillance and patient identity management - enabling real-time, accurate data critical for planning and public health.

"Civil registration has long remained low because many less privileged families could not afford NADRA fees," the chief minister noted. "To remove this barrier, the Sindh cabinet decided that the provincial government will pay all NADRA fees for birth and death registration."

Mandatory birth registration within hours

The chief minister announced that birth registration would be made mandatory across Sindh immediately after the birth of the child. "Five years from now, every child's school mapping and planning will be based on this data," he said, directing hospitals to ensure instant registration of all newborns.

He added that implementation at the union council level would be crucial, and that local representatives' performance would now be assessed based on registration rates.

Shah highlighted that all Sindh cabinet meetings have already shifted to a fully paperless system. The provincial government now aims to expand digital reforms to domicile issuance, social protection systems, health records, licensing and e-payments - consolidating them under a secure, unified digital platform.

NADRA, he said, has been an 'essential partner' through solutions like Pak-ID, and will ensure that its data security and privacy standards extend to the new system as well.

Health sector to benefit from integrated data

Provincial Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho briefed the chief minister on the network of 769 health facilities now connected to the new system. The integrated data, she said, would support programmes such as the Electronic Immunisation Registry and help target interventions for diseases including thalassemia.

NADRA Director General Amir Ali Khan and Local Government Secretary Waseem Shamshed signed an additional agreement confirming NADRA's role in securing and maintaining the CRMS mobile application. All terms of the original memorandum of understanding remain intact.

Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said the Digital Sindh initiative would ensure both transparency and accuracy in governance processes.