Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan today said there is a major mismatch between the country's actual population and the data held in the birth and death registration database, calling for urgent corrective measures.

"It is a matter of concern that in a country of nearly 19 crore people, the registration database holds information on far more than that. We must remove such discrepancies and make the registration system accurate and credible," the minister was addressing a discussion marking "National Birth and Death Registration Day 2026" at a hotel in Karwan Bazar in the capital, organised by the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration, under the Local Government Division.

Describing birth and death registration as vital to national administration, he said the state's power must be used to serve people, not obstruct services, and to meet their needs and ensure their rights.

Serving the public is the primary responsibility of an elected government, Moyeen Khan said, adding that elected representatives and public officials must work responsibly to fulfil the expectations people carry when they cast their votes.

"Whatever the methods, civil servants and elected representatives share one goal, serving the people," he said.

Technology alone cannot ensure public service, the minister said, stressing that the people behind it must be accountable.

He said no citizen should have to make repeated trips to a union parishad for a simple birth certificate.

An ordinary villager may not be highly educated, but he or she is a citizen with a right to public services, he added, urging all concerned to be more alert, responsible and people-oriented in delivering services at the grassroots.

Speaking as special guest, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said birth and death registration was introduced in 2001 with UNICEF support under Begum Khaleda Zia, with the mother's identity recorded alongside the father's.

He said the country currently has 24.88 crore birth registrations and 58.19 lakh death registrations, whereas the 2022 census puts the population at around 17 crore.

Inaccurate registration, he said, is distorting national statistics, and he called for a fresh look at the issue.

The state minister described the Birth and Death Registration Information System (BDRIS) as a key foundation for the "One Citizen, One ID, One Digital Wallet" initiative.

He stressed raising awareness at the union, ward and village levels to make grassroots registration more accurate.

Citing the government's in-principle decision to reintroduce the Gram Sarkar (village government) system, he said it would make birth and death registration at the village level more precise.

At the event, awards were presented in several categories in recognition of accuracy and excellence in registration.