Land registry, digitisation of records could be a gamechanger

[00:00:01] Hello and welcome to All Indians Matter, I am Ashraf Enjhanya.

[00:00:05] In the Union budget presented in July, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced a significant

[00:00:10] land reform that could have far-reaching effects if implemented right.

[00:00:14] There was fiscal support for reforms spanning land administration, planning and management,

[00:00:18] urban planning, usage and building bylaws.

[00:00:21] However, the most significant is the establishment of a new land registry for rural areas and

[00:00:26] the assignment of unique land parcel identification numbers.

[00:00:29] This registry will be linked to a farmer registry to help credit flow.

[00:00:33] The unique land parcel identification number, also known as Wulpin or Bhuadar, will be accompanied

[00:00:38] by digitisation of cadastral maps and a survey of map subdivisions as per current ownership.

[00:00:44] The digitisation of land records could potentially revolutionise India's problem-riddled land

[00:00:49] management system.

[00:00:50] Let's look at why such an initiative is important and what impact it could have

[00:00:53] on farmers and the rural economy.

[00:01:03] Land records are critical for any nation's governance and economic progress.

[00:01:07] In India, however, such records are poorly managed and highly decentralised.

[00:01:12] This leads to several problems faced by the citizens as well as administrations and businesses.

[00:01:16] This primitive system is complex and inefficient, at least disputes and enables corruption.

[00:01:21] In fact, land disputes account for much of the congestion of India's judicial system.

[00:01:25] They constitute the largest category of cases in terms of absolute numbers as well

[00:01:30] as pending matters.

[00:01:31] There is no debate that efficient land registries and cadastral maps are the key to not just

[00:01:35] understanding land use but also to enforcing building codes.

[00:01:39] They are also used to evaluate risks from natural and man-made hazards.

[00:01:43] In case you are wondering what cadastral maps are, they are detailed representations

[00:01:46] of land parcels that offer an understanding of property boundaries, land ownership

[00:01:51] and physical characteristics of an area.

[00:01:54] They are used to comprehend legalities tied to regions and play a pivotal role

[00:01:57] in land management and planning.

[00:01:59] While I have been critical of this government for various reasons and I stand by it

[00:02:03] and I don't think that the budget delivers what's needed overall,

[00:02:06] I do believe that the land registry is a great move if implemented well.

[00:02:10] It's an acknowledgement of the need for an overview of land administration

[00:02:13] and property record modernisation.

[00:02:15] Land is a unique asset.

[00:02:17] It is immovable and its value depends on fertility, location, connectivity,

[00:02:21] climate and other factors.

[00:02:23] It's in demand perennially and its value keeps rising because its supply is finite.

[00:02:27] So those with clear land rights are generally better off than the landless

[00:02:30] or those without clear titles.

[00:02:32] Clear titles give you better access to markets.

[00:02:34] Titles protect the rights of the holders and impact livelihoods

[00:02:38] as well as economic and social growth.

[00:02:40] However, land titles in India tend to be unclear due to varied reasons

[00:02:44] from legacy issues in the Zamindari system to poor administration of records.

[00:02:48] This leads to legal disputes and it's a drag on the agriculture and real estate sectors.

[00:02:53] In India, agricultural credit has been a hot button issue for decades.

[00:02:57] Successive governments have pushed for more credit for farmers

[00:02:59] but the lack of collateral such as clear land titles have been a major problem.

[00:03:04] Land is a principal collateral used by farmers for obtaining loans.

[00:03:07] If the title is unclear or disputed, it restricts flow of capital and credit.

[00:03:11] This is particularly true of small and marginal farmers

[00:03:14] who have come from more than half of the total land holdings

[00:03:16] but often do not hold formal titles.

[00:03:19] According to one estimate, more than 9.3 million people in India

[00:03:22] are affected by land conflicts in an area spanning 3.9 million hectares.

[00:03:27] This impacts investments worth 372 billion dollars.

[00:03:31] In 2016, the government made a start

[00:03:33] by initiating the Digital Land Records Modernization Program

[00:03:37] or DIL-RMP to address these challenges.

[00:03:40] It aimed to digitize land records, minimize discrepancies and enhance accessibility,

[00:03:45] thus enabling easy land transactions.

[00:03:47] It was meant to establish an integrated land information management system

[00:03:51] to enhance real-time land information access, optimize land use,

[00:03:55] benefit landowners and investors, support policy planning,

[00:03:58] reduce disputes, prevent fraudulent transactions,

[00:04:01] eliminate the need for visits to offices

[00:04:02] and facilitate information sharing with various agencies.

[00:04:06] The National Generic Documenting Registration System or E-Registration

[00:04:10] was an initiative under DIL-RMP.

[00:04:13] It was a common, generic and configurable application

[00:04:16] developed for registration departments across India.

[00:04:19] It helped citizens through online entry of deeds,

[00:04:21] online payment, online appointments, online admission,

[00:04:24] document search and certified copy generation.

[00:04:26] As of December 2023, the government claimed that

[00:04:29] 95% of the record of rights had been computerized,

[00:04:32] 68% of cadastral maps had been digitized,

[00:04:35] 94.95% of computerization of registration achieved

[00:04:38] and 87.48% of the integration of sub-legit-star offices

[00:04:42] with land records had been completed.

[00:04:45] The latest budget proposals have the potential

[00:04:47] to reduce the number of land cases and courts

[00:04:49] and streamline property transactions.

[00:04:51] If implemented right, then I keep saying this

[00:04:53] because it is the key.

[00:04:54] They can enhance transparency by identifying

[00:04:57] the right beneficiaries for compensation

[00:04:59] in cases of land acquisition by the government.

[00:05:01] It can also improve credit access, as I mentioned earlier.

[00:05:05] The standardized format of record keeping

[00:05:07] can enable seamless compatibility and clarity

[00:05:10] of information across the country.

[00:05:12] The benefit to the economy will be extensive.

[00:05:14] The rural development and Panchayati Raj Ministry

[00:05:16] estimated that digitization could boost national GDP by 1.5%.

[00:05:21] Incidentally, the digital mapping of land records

[00:05:24] might even provide opportunities for downstream companies

[00:05:26] to use space technologies for these activities.

[00:05:29] The unique land parcel identification number,

[00:05:32] also known as Wulpin or Bhuvadar,

[00:05:34] will be a 14-digit alpha numeric unique ID

[00:05:36] that will have ownership details of the plot

[00:05:38] besides its size and longitudinal and latitudinal details.

[00:05:43] While the budget proposal is welcome,

[00:05:44] it's not the easiest thing in the world to implement.

[00:05:47] For one thing, the capacity at the district

[00:05:48] and local levels is poor.

[00:05:50] This is make or break because the entire process

[00:05:53] of data collection and storage of records

[00:05:54] happens at the village, city or block level.

[00:05:57] Numerous committees have underscored the need

[00:05:59] to build capacity among officials at all levels.

[00:06:02] It is estimated that this training exercise

[00:06:04] would be needed for 1 lakh to 2 lakh patwaris,

[00:06:07] 50,000 survey staff and in approximately 5,000

[00:06:10] TESILs and 4,000 registration offices.

[00:06:13] You also need to ensure that existing land records

[00:06:15] are accurate and error-free.

[00:06:17] Cross-checking all records against past transactions

[00:06:19] and with the situation on the ground

[00:06:20] will be time consuming and resource intensive.

[00:06:23] It would require also that all information

[00:06:25] is made available through a single window.

[00:06:28] That means integrating information across departments

[00:06:30] and updating these records.

[00:06:32] Lastly, land registration and contracts

[00:06:34] are regulated both by the centre and the states.

[00:06:37] If you have to move to a conclusive titling framework,

[00:06:39] it would require amending the related central and state laws

[00:06:42] and creating a unified legal framework

[00:06:44] for government-guarantee ownership.

[00:06:46] Let's not forget also that India has been trying

[00:06:48] to develop planned maps since the 1980s

[00:06:50] with limited success.

[00:06:51] One drawback has been the lack of uniform standards.

[00:06:54] These maps are made by manual digitization

[00:06:57] which means that it involves an operator

[00:06:58] using a digitizing table or computer screen

[00:07:01] to create the maps.

[00:07:02] These are not necessarily well-georeferenced.

[00:07:04] That is, the digital data is not properly mapped

[00:07:06] to fixed geographical coordinates.

[00:07:08] Also states use different projections

[00:07:10] so maps prepared by one state

[00:07:12] are not compatible with those of another.

[00:07:14] This necessitates the establishment of GIS standards

[00:07:16] and interoperability for different end users.

[00:07:19] Without that, such a digital initiative won't succeed.

[00:07:22] India needs a comprehensive land registry.

[00:07:25] It's an uphill task but it needs to be done.

[00:07:27] But the challenges must be recognized and planned for.

[00:07:30] Without that, this will be just another right-minded initiative

[00:07:33] that will fail because of poor implementation.