Digitisation of land records is welcome
Various schemes like the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA), Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) and National Geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban Habitations (NAKSHA) have been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir as authorities aim to ensure digitisation of land records.
Given the way the revenue department had been functioning here since many decades the initiative was much needed as the process of upgrading the land records is seen as a great service to the masses as it will bring immense convenience to the public and usher in new arenas for development and governance.
The transformative potential of these land digitisation initiatives will revolutionise governance just like the success of UPI and other ambitious programmes.
Notably, the people here would endlessly seek records from concerned Patwaris who on one or the other pretext would delay the issuance of such papers leading to delays in property transfers and other related issues.
The earlier process not only proved cumbersome but also left many a loopholes in the system that propelled not only corrupt practices but other unfair means as well.
The transformative potential of land records digitisation is a major step towards transparent, efficient and citizen-centric governance. The initiative will significantly improve accessibility, accuracy and reliability of land records, thereby reducing disputes and enhancing public trust in the revenue administration.
Notably, 7.28 crore revenue documents including Jamabandis, Mutations and Girdawari records have been scanned and uploaded on the Land Records Information System (LRIS).
The NAKSHA programme for creation of land records in urban habitations is also progressing, with aerial survey, ORI generation and ground verifications processes being followed. Besides, 98 percent of Khasras across the Union Territory have been digitised and approved, with 97 percent of villages completing the first-level freezing process.
However, what is needed is rigorous quality checks at every stage of the process to ensure that the digitised records remain error-free and authentic. The concerned revenue officers down the line need to exercise due diligence and accountability so that the digitisation exercise results in a robust, reliable and future-ready land records management system.
Land digitisation of records was a much needed exercise in order to ensure transparency and easy access to data. The process will ensure efficiency and speed up property transactions and also ensure security by minimizes fraud risk with digital proof.
Besides, such an exercise would immensely help in better planning as it would aid urban planning and revenue collection.
