Reforms that strengthen land governance or land resource management shall definitely have positive impact over various sectors of the economy. This issue has been touched upon by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech. This is important when, according to reports, there is on-ground conflict over 2.5 million hectares of land affecting an estimated seven million Indians, threatening investments worth $200 billion and land disputes continue to dominate the list of clogs at all levels of judiciary in India.
There are umpteen examples of how computerisation and digitalisation of land records has helped in ways we have not experienced before, like under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan) the payments are being done by relying upon the computerised land records. Besides, in case of land acquisitions for infrastructural facilities like railway lines, highways or for setting up industries, proper and updated computerised land records can step in as an important apparatus to effectively carry forward relief and rehabilitation operations.
Moreover, in the recent past we have witnessed e-procurement of wheat and paddy in the states through the minimum support price scheme which was enabled by computerisation and digitalisation of land records. The mandi administration can now with much convenience make assessment of food crop sown and the food-grain produced by individual farmers on the basis of digitalised entries to that effect. The procedure to be followed by the mandi administration has now been simplified and is hassle free, it has to simply plan the arrival of farmers to the mandi by arranging them village wise and upon their arrival corelate the food crop in the digital entry with the quantum of the same brought by the individual farmer to the mandi. And thereafter if the mandi administration is satisfied that the quantum of food crop brought by the farmer matches the entry then payment as per the MSP is credited to the individual farmer’s account.
With the use of computerised land records for e-procurement the transactional efficiencies have evidently improved and there are other goodies in the package too. Now that data regarding total acreage under cultivation in the villages can be easily assessed, the arrival plan of farmers’ produce at mandis can be planned with much ease than the pre-digitalisation era. Long queues of tractors crowding the mandis is now a thing of past.
The FM’s budget speech underlined three land resource management plans based on technology cutting across geographical, regional and state policy barriers. First, about the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), which is an almost Aadhaar-like unique identification number assigned for a land parcel or plot. This will therefore come to the aid of agencies and services that can use the land database from anywhere in the country to ascertain and authenticate a farmer or the beneficiary’s identity. This will be quite helpful in delivery of services. Not only this, it would facilitate access of information regarding various entitlements meant for the farmer and individual land holder through mobile phones and various other similar gadgets and mediums. Besides, it will be elemental in curbing benami and fraudulent transfers of land. And once this apparatus is combined with Aadhaar, it will effectively curb such irregular and illegal transfers.
The second initiative is the National Generic Document Registry System (NGDRS), which is a One Nation One Registration Software System, And as far as the urban property registration is concerned, it is a breakthrough achievement. This software application platform facilitates online registration of immovable properties, which is available for all States and UTs. This software system provides for online application of registration to paying the stamp duty and furnishing encumbrance certificates. However, the physical presence of the buyer and seller at the time of the final execution of the registration document is only required, since being mandatory under Section 32A of the Registration Act. It enhances transparency in property transactions, reduces disputes and chances of fraudulent transactions, besides reducing costs, time in registration process.
At present, the land records are mostly in regional languages; so, the linguistic barrier in land records is a major bottleneck in opening up the economy. Therefore, the third initiative is all about transliterating the land records in any language under Schedule VIII of the Constitution. This will effectively break the linguistic barriers in land records, which shall be helpful to open up the national economy. For example, a prospective property buyer from Odisha would conveniently get access to land records of Andhra Pradesh in Odia.
The technology-based land governance can do wonders but for that active cooperation of State Governments with the Central Government is also required because “land” is a State subject with many subjects relating to land, finding place in the Concurrent List, which means both Parliament and State Assemblies can legislate over those issues. Therefore, the proper implementation of these initiatives with periodic review of their workability at appropriate level and cooperation between States/UTs and the Central Government will definitely be helpful in efficient land resource management and governance which will embolden the national economy over the coming years.
(The writer is an Additional Central Government Standing Counsel, Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack Bench and a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Media Studies, School of Mass Communication, KIIT University. Views are personal)