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“Registration was first introduced into Calcutta in 1864, and neglect was rendered penal. Birth registration is now fairly correct and the mortuary returns received from each police inspector of the twenty one sections into which the city is divided are checked by other returns from the sextons of the cemeteries and the clerks of the burning ghauts...In the Madras Presidency the registration of births commenced in 1870..The mortuary registration was commenced in 1866... In the Bombay Presidency the registration of deaths was commenced in 1865. Birth registration has only just been commenced [c 1872]..” <ref> ''House of Commons Papers: Accounts and Papers: East India (progress and condition). Statement exhibiting the moral and material progress and condition of India, during the year 1872-73''. Actual pages 125,126, computer pages 154,155</ref>
[[Burma ]] had birth and death registration from 1865, for more details, including the information to be completed, refer [http://books.google.com/books?id=RegiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA552 ''Hand-book for British Burma''], page 552 by George Edward Fryer 1867 Google Books. As Burma was a province of Bengal, it is likely that the situation in Calcutta, and possibly most/all of Bengal was similar.
The Central Province of Berar introduced a system of birth registration in 1866. Punjab and United Provinces followed a little later. In 1873, the Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act was passed and was later adopted by the neighbouring states of [[Bihar ]] and [[Orissa]].
It was, however, only in 1886 that a Central Act- the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act- was placed on the Statute Book to provide for voluntary registration throughout British India. This Act was not to affect any law on the subject already in force or which might be passed subsequently for any particular local area and therefore had only limited force. Advantage was taken of the Act by the foreigners, particularly Europeans and British residing in the country. A few states like Madras and Bengal had their own specific Act (Madras registration of Births and Deaths Act 1899 and Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act 1873) which had been adopted by a few other states.
In 1930, in the whole of India, Bengal was the only province in which registration was compulsory both in rural and urban areas. In Madras, registration was compulsory in all municipal towns and was later extended to all villages towns and was later extended to all villages with a population of 2000 and more. In Bihar and Orissa, registration was compulsory only in some municipalities whereas in Punjab and the Central Provinces, it was compulsory in all municipal towns. In Bombay it was compulsory in nearly all municipalities while in [[Assam ]] it covered all municipal towns, small towns, tea gardens and a few towns of hill districts.
Generally, the officials of the revenue, police or health departments were also made responsible for registration. In municipal towns and cities the municipal authority was responsible for registration of vital events and this function was usually a part of the duties of the health department. Health officials like sanitary inspector, vaccinator and health assistant were made responsible for this work.
==Princely states==
In other ares areas of India, which were not controlled by the British, births and deaths of British subjects were registered with the British Residents of various Native or [[Princely States]]. 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]].
==FIBIS resources==
