Digitization Of Land Records - Bhu-Aadhar
Author: LawSphereX
Category: Property & Real Estate
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DIGITIZATION OF LAND RECORDS: BHU-AADHAR
Alok Dwivedi, DES Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College The Union Budget 2024 marked the acceleration of the digital era for land records across India, signalling a shift in the identification process. The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitaraman, during her budget speech announced the assignment of the unique numbers to identify all the rural lands across India, called “Bhu Aadhar. " Bhu-Aadhaar, or Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), aims to digitize and create identification for the land parcels in India. UNIQUE LAND PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (ULPIN) OR BHU- AADHAAR The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), or Bhu-Aadhaar, is a 14-digit alphanumeric unique ID generated with the help of the longitude and latitude coordinates of the land. It is based on government surveys and geo-tagged maps. The ULPIN number is developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The Bhu Aadhar will revolutionise the digital governance of Strong India. The unique I. D numbers will be used to identify the surveyed parcel of land based on the coordinates of the land parcel. The Central Government has planned to implement the digitization process with the help of state governments. The Central Government will provide the financial assistance to the states to facilitate the initiative. This reform will bring transparency in the land records, helping curb corruption and fraud. The measure will enhance the efficiency of property tax collection. The Bhu Aadhar initiative will be implemented by the Department of Land Records as part of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP). Bhu Aadhar resembles the Aadhar Number System, which provides unique identification for citizens of India.
The central government applies this similar concept to the land records by creating a comprehensive database containing land records, ownership information, and transactions, such as sale deeds, inheritance records, mortgage and lease documents, cadastral maps, etc. , that is accessible to the public. The Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) was launched based on suggestions given under the Five-Year Plan in 2016 as a central sector scheme with 100% funding by the Centre. Under DILRMP, the National Generic Document Registration System was created to standardise the method of registration of sale deeds across the different states in India. This system changed the traditional manual method of registration to the online registration of sale, purchase, and transfer of land or property.
Thus, all the transactions related to property will be linked and get established throughout the system. The Bhu Aadhar initiative also complies with international standards like Electronic Commerce Code Management Association Standard and Open Geospatial Consortium Standard. The government has undertaken comprehensive initiatives across both rural and urban areas. In rural regions, the focus is on modernising land records through several key initiatives. This includes assigning a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), also known as Bhu- Aadhar, to all land parcels, digital registration of cadastral maps, conducting surveys to update map subdivisions based on current ownership, and creating an integrated land registry that is linked to the farmer’s registry. For urban areas, the focus is on digitization of land records using GIS mapping technology.
Moreover, an IT system is set-up for management of property records and tax administration. This information system will offer complete data on land and properties across India, including both textual and spatial details, ensuring the consistency of data across all departments and agencies at various administrative levels such as district, state, and centre. The Revenue Departments of States and Union Territories will lead this initiative, identifying departments with land resources, listing services, standardising existing data sets, finalising inter-departmental database transactions, and making strategies to assign a unique ID to each land parcel. IMPACT This initiative will bring about significant reforms in land record management, making land transactions easier for citizens and stakeholders while improving the management of land resources and records for the administration.
This will enable smooth revenue generation. Additionally, it will positively impact the volume of land-related litigations by introducing mechanisms such as authentic source of information on land parameters, easy identification of land and their sale, purchase and transfers, digitalization through Unified ID for paperless governance, and standardization of data and applications for effective integration and compatibility across government departments and stakeholders. Furthermore, it will introduce a unified land tracking system, a single portal facility, and increase transparency.
Bhu Aadhar AND TAX Bhu Aadhar and ULPIN will further streamline India's property tax collection process. This initiative will make land records and property information very efficient, which directly impacts property tax management. The standardisation in identification of properties helps the local tax authorities have accurate data on land within their jurisdiction. The unique numbers allotted prevent duplication and non-entry of land parcels. For tax purposes, the authorities can quickly look up up-to-date information regarding property, including changes of ownership and use of land. The Bhu Aadhar will create interconnection between the databases, which makes it difficult for a person to evade taxes, as changes with regard to property are updated and reflected in each of the database systems. BENEFITS India required modernization and transparency in its land registration system.
The 1% GDP of the country is lost because of the stay on projects due to litigation. According to a study, 66 percent of all civil suits in India are related to land or property disputes, and the average pendency of these disputes is 20 years. Thus, standardisation would bring in effective integration and transparency, thereby reducing litigation and curbing corruption and fraud. It will also enhance the efficiency of property tax collection. It also enables the farmers to use their land as collateral to secure loans from banks. The Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme is not just about the unique identification number; it also has other components, including transliterating the Records of Rights to any of the 22 languages recognised by the Constitution to overcome linguistic barriers in land governance across the country.
The Department of Land Resources, in its presentation, has said that “the linguistic barriers pose serious challenges for access of information and usage in understandable form. To address this problem in the land governance of the country, the government, with the technical support of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, has undertaken an initiative to transliterate the Records of Rights available in local language to any of the 22 languages recognised by the Constitution. ” The DILRMP scheme will provide various services, including caste, income, and domicile certificates, as well as online information on crop profiles, crop insurance, and e-linkages to credit facilities and banks.
Additionally, a comprehensive land record management system will help resolve long-standing arbitration cases and boundary-related disputes affirmatively, reducing the burden on the judiciary and administration.
CHALLENGES
The primary challenge is the lack of coexistence between the records of the Department of Stamps and Registration and the Revenue Department in many states in India. The other challenge includes that there does not exist a common system of measurement of the land both in urban and rural India. Hectare should be made the common measurement system in rural areas. For urban areas, square feet are the most common measurement system. The ULPIN data should be updated in case of a land mortgage or court attachment to prevent further disputes. The visual evidence in the form of a photo needs to be implemented across India, and the photo along with the ULPIN number should be tagged with the sale deed. SO FAR...
The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme was launched in 10 states in
2021 under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), which
began in 2008. So far, ULPIN has already been rolled out in 26 states and Union territories— Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Odisha, Sikkim, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. It is so far not implemented in Meghalaya, as there is a tradition of community ownership of land parcels. Andhra Pradesh was the first state to achieve 100% ULPIN coverage. In fact, Andhra Pradesh is recognised for having the best practice of land records maintenance in India, as Bhu-Aadhaar is also linked with the Aadhaar numbers of all landowners. The states of Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have reached 60-90% ULPIN coverage.
As of March 27, 2023, 26 states and UTs have adopted ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar, and a total of
9.026 crore land parcels have been assigned Bhu-Aadhaar or ULPIN as of March 15, 2023.
The central government has planned to further successfully implement this initiative within the next 3 years. The Bhu-Aadhar, or Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), marked a significant move towards digital India and its efforts to modernise and digitize the land records. Bhu Aadhar has already been implemented in 26 States and Union Territories, some having achieved significant coverage. Bhu Aadhar will have a great impact on India’s land governance. This initiative represents a crucial step towards more transparent, efficient, and accessible land management in India.