How India is reforming its land records system to give a big boost to its economy

The government’s efforts to digitize land records is expected to revolutionize the country’s long-standing land management system. As part of the Digital India initiative, this effort entails converting traditional paper records into electronic format.

Land records are vital to a country’s governance and economic development. In India, the management of these records is poorly enforced and highly fragmented, resulting in many hurdles and difficulties faced by the common people as well as civil authorities and businesses. This land recording system has historically been complex and burdensome, leading to inefficiencies, disputes and corruption. Land disputes pervade India’s entire judicial system and constitute the largest category of cases, both in terms of sheer number and pending legal matters.

It is estimated that more than 9.3 million people are affected by land conflicts, covering a total area of ​​3.9 million hectares. This had an impact on investments worth $372 billion. To address these challenges, the Government of India launched the Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP). This ambitious project aims to digitize land records, minimize discrepancies, and improve accessibility, ultimately facilitating hassle-free land transactions and improving governance.

What is DILRMP?

The center said the goal of DILRMP is to “develop a modern, comprehensive and transparent land records management system”.

DILRMP was reconstituted as a central sectoral scheme with effect from April 1, 2016 and is fully funded by the Center to modernize land records management. Its goal is to establish an integrated land information management system to enhance real-time land information access, optimize land resource utilization, benefit land owners and investors, support policy planning, reduce land disputes, prevent fraudulent transactions, and eliminate the need to visit the office in person, and facilitate information sharing with agencies.

As part of the program, more than 94% of rights records and state-specific registration offices have been digitized. Digitization of land records is significant as it has the potential to increase transparency in land-related transactions, reduce title disputes and streamline land management processes.

The government is actively promoting digitization of land records through initiatives such as the National Land Records Modernization Program and the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme. To date, this exhaustive work has yielded significant progress.

As of December 2023, 95% of rights records have been digitized, 68% of cadastral maps have been digitized, 94.95% of registrations have been digitized, and 87.48% of sub-registries and land record integration have been completed.

The government has approved the extension of the DILRMP for another five years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

A range of benefits

Completing the digitization of land records will bring several significant benefits. The first is to reduce the large backlog of land dispute cases and reduce the burden of litigation.

Secondly, it will simplify property transactions and increase transparency in determining the correct compensation beneficiaries when government acquires land. This transparency will also help improve credit access.

Third, it will promote consistent and standardized record-keeping formats across the country, enabling seamless compatibility and clarity of information across cultural and language barriers.

Furthermore, the benefits to the economy will be profound. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh said digitalization initiatives are expected to grow the country’s GDP by 1.5% and improve India’s ease of doing business ranking.

Break down barriers with innovation

DILRMP is a revolutionary initiative to reorganize the long-established and mismanaged land records system. Under the plan, digitization concepts will be applied to all aspects of record keeping, including land records, registration processes and cadastral maps (i.e. maps drawn to determine land ownership).

The aim is to remove every obstacle through technology and innovation. Manually maintained records will be standardized and converted into a digital format. Cadastral maps will undergo a digital transformation, once again providing visual insights into parcels, ownership records and other information in a standardized way. Land records will also be integrated with the registration process, which will make property transactions smoother and eliminate fraud.

Standardization itself is a difficult task for countries, but it will bring huge rewards. Implementing a unified format for data information presentation and language translation across different countries such as India will benefit future generations.

In fact, the transliteration process is already underway, and scientific research and development institutions are already involved in the task. With technical assistance from the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, the government has launched an initiative to transliterate the rights record from local languages ​​into any of the 22 languages ​​listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Pilot testing is currently underway in eight states: Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir . A total of 17 states have adopted transliteration tools to modify their land records.

Another innovation in this field is the Unique Plot Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhar. The ULPIN is a 14-digit alphanumeric unique ID that “will contain the ownership details of the plot in addition to its size and longitudinal and latitudinal details”.

According to the government notification, this will facilitate real estate transactions, help resolve property boundary issues and improve disaster planning and response efforts. So far, almost every state has adopted this system and is building its record.

National General Document Registration System (NGDRS) or e-registration is another initiative under the DILRMP. NGDRS or Electronic Registration is a common, versatile and configurable application developed for registration departments across the country. It helps citizens to enter deeds online, pay online, book appointments online, admission online, document search and certified copy generation. This innovation won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2021 in its core innovation category.

DILRMP is a detailed effort that requires the cooperation and dedication of state governments that ultimately manage land records. Achievements in this area will enhance India’s real estate sector and ultimately lift its economy to high levels, creating more opportunities and increasing investments. Finally, it will lead to a fairer system that protects Indian citizens from fraud, disputes and bureaucratic complications.