According to an ET report, the announcement regarding the allocation of funds for this project is likely to be made during the presentation of the full budget.A senior official stated, “Land reforms are one of the top agenda items for the government and if it comes back to power, these will be aggressively pushed starting with the digitization of land records.”
The proposed digitization plan is also included in the next government’s 100-day economic agenda, which was recently discussed.
Digital push for land records
The digitization process will include rejigging land-use policies for urban, forest, and agricultural land, which is expected to expedite key infrastructure projects that are often delayed due to land acquisition and litigation issues.
The cabinet secretary chaired a meeting last week to review the progress of the 100-day agenda and discussed how other flagship reforms were hindered by the lack of digital land records, such as land-monetization and agricultural reforms.
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The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) system, which assigns a unique 14-digit ID to each land parcel based on geo-coordinates, is already in place and adheres to international standards. The government plans to expand the database by including ownership, usage, and risk information.
“This reform will have a multiplier effect, once the land record is digitized, it will also reduce land disputes, will give exact ownership and usage patterns with exact data,” the official said, adding that this will substantially reduce the project completion timing by at least 30-35%.