One-third of these 40 million unregistered births occur in India, stated the Registrar General of India Vijayan Unni while jointly releasing the report along with secretary, Ministry of Labour L Mishra and secretary, Education P R Dasgupta.

The Registrar General said that though birth registrations in the country date back to 1886, even today the situation was not very satisfactory. The major problem was lack of awareness among the people.

Some states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Punjab have achieved 100 per cent registration of births and deaths, while others like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan register only 20 per cent of births, he said.

Earlier, Razia Ismail of UNICEF, introducing the report, said it addressed fourissues birth registration, successes and challenges of immunisation of children, special problems of adolescents, and the homeless.

While the industrialised countries register virtually all their children, civil registration systems are still rudimentary in many developing countries, especially those in Africa and southern Asia, the report says.

In India, between 30 to 49 per cent of births are registered. Unlike in many countries, a birth certificate is not required for immunisation, health care, or marriage, says the report.

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, and Sri Lanka have registered over 90 per cent of births. India, in contrast, has managed to register less than half. The country's performance is on par with Myanmar and is below the performance of Pakistan, Philippines, and Indonesia, which have registered between 50 and 89 per cent of all births, it says.

Unni said birth registration was not a one-sided effort and required a reciprocal response from thepeople. Observing that there was a direct link between literacy levels and registration of births and deaths, he claimed that 100 per cent registration could be achieved within 30 years.

The 1998 report also lists the dramatic progress in child immunisation over the past 20 years, but says the struggle is far from over as two million children still die each year because they lack access to basic and inexpensive vaccines available to combat the ``big six'' diseases.

More than 800,000 children under the age of five die of measles each year. Of these, 230,000 children die in India.

In 32 of the 44 poorest countries, measles immunisation rates have either remained static or have slipped since 1990, it adds.

The report comes down heavily on developing countries for not taking birth registration seriously. It says, an effective system of birth registration is fundamental, not only to the fulfilment of children's rights, but also to the rational operation of a humane government in the modern world.

Withoutproof of birth, a child cannot be legally vaccinated in at least 20 countries. Over 30 countries require birth registration before a child can be treated in a health centre.