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→Birth Registration
The following India List post indicates that some records of European Births may be obtained from the Birth Registers held by Indian authorities, namely the local municipality. The [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/INDIA/2009-12/1261288775 post] says ‘I was born in the Govt. Hospital in Ootacamund, and all I have as evidence is a birth register. No Birth certificate was issued, because they did not have such things. (Basically, this is a form that is filled out and copied from their register.) From what I understand, this is the norm and you would probably have to investigate the local government office of BMD's to get a copy’. This India List [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/india/2007-07/1184123043 post] indicates that the local municipality is the responsible body.
Thacker's 1865 ''Bengal Directory'', on page 147, states 'Registration of Births and Deaths under Section 94 of Act VI of 1864...Registration of Births and Deaths took effect from 1st April 1864.' Calcutta was divided into 6 districts. It appears that Birth Registration has existed since the mid 19th century in some areas, but it is unknown how widely spread birth registration was , and to what extent records are available in India.
Births and deaths of British Subjects were registered with the British Residents of various Native or Princely States in India. These records form the N/5 series of the Ecclesiastical Records. For details, refer [[Princely States#British Library APAC records|Princely States - British Library N/5 records]]
