The current system of land records in India is largely influenced by practices from the Mughal period and was slightly modified during British rule.
Successive Five-Year Plans (FYPs) emphasized the importance of proper maintenance of land records for good administration and rural development.
Purpose of Land Record Modernisation
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- It is aimed at updating land records to reflect ground realities regarding ownership and possession.
- It is essential for the effective implementation of government welfare policies and to reduce the duration and costs of litigation over property disputes.
- It facilitates clear property titles, making transactions faster and more transparent.
- It enhances the success of land reform policies by enabling accurate and timely updates of records.
Challenges with Digitisation
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- There has been an incomplete data entry at various levels over the past decade which has created problems of data redundancy.
- Cross-verification is needed to ensure accuracy and avoid inconsistencies.
- There is a risk of physical damage to old records during digitisation because of repeated handling of logbooks and registers.
- Multiple documents maintained by different departments complicate land ownership verification.
- Basic survey documents, sketches, and maps are not yet digitised in many states.
- Lack of streamlined maintenance has led to litigations, scams, and disputes over land ownership.
