THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has issued an order allotting more time for those who missed registering their names in the birth certificate before June 22, 2015. As per the order, people can register their names till June 22, 2021. The action was taken after Kerala Kaumudi reported that people were in distress as they were unable to proceed for higher education and foreign tours since they did not get their names registered.

In 2015, the state tightened the central rule that names must be registered within 15 years of birth. The five-year period allowed to enrol in a birth register prior to June 22, 2015, expired on June 22 this year. Though the government had announced this, many did not add their names.
Most people born during this period do not have a name on the certificate. Many came to the local bodies to register their names as they needed birth certificates for various purposes. However, the officials were helpless as the time period got expired. Due to public concerns, the government sent a letter to the Registrar General of India, but the action was delayed. The government finally decided to grant the exemption till June 2021 with the approval of the Law Department.