India’s land records system has long been plagued by issues of opacity, corruption, and benami property holdings. To combat these challenges and promote transparency, a simple linkage of every property (geo-tagged) to an Aadhaar card or PAN card could be a start. This would not only bolster accountability but also streamline governance, bringing about a significant clean-up of India’s real estate sector.
The integration of land records with Aadhaar/PAN holds immense potential for improving transparency and reducing corruption. By linking, the system can effectively identify and eliminate benami property holders. This would strike a major blow to the shadow economy and illicit transactions.
While land is primarily a State subject, Aadhaar/PAN provide a national framework for identification and governance. Achieving the ambitious goal of digitising land records and linking them to Aadhaar/PAN necessitates collaboration between the Central and State governments.
This would have to start with the government reducing the multiplicity of land laws that exist today. Many land-related subjects are in the “Concurrent” as well as “State” list in our Constitution. This often leads to confusion. There is a huge pile-up of civil litigation cases involving land pending in various courts. Over one crore Indians are involved in such disputes amounting to around ₹15-lakh crore. Nearly 30 per cent of all cases decided by the Supreme Court since Independence has been around land disputes.
Simplification of land laws would involve creating a database of all existing land laws to repeal duplicity, and bringing them under a single code. In addition, all States have to provide human capital and budgets in order to update their land surveys/records, and digitise them. Merely digitising old records will mean inclusion of the incorrect ones, too.
Digitising land ownership records is a crucial step towards streamlining the archaic property transaction process. By shifting from manual, paper-based systems to digital platforms, the entire land records ecosystem can be modernised, ensuring accuracy, accessibility, and transparency. Digital records eliminate the risk of document tampering, misplacement and fraud, thus instilling confidence among property owners and potential investors.
Implementing land reforms would require a paradigm shift in political culture and a commitment to the greater societal good, transcending party lines.
The digitisation of land ownership records offers immense benefits in terms of efficiency and governance. Digital records are easier to update, maintain and search, resulting in faster processing of property-related transactions. This not only reduces bureaucratic red tape but also facilitates smoother operations for individuals and businesses. It also makes it easier to solve encroachment issues, especially the largest being that of governmental land. Additionally, the availability of accurate and up-to-date data empowers policymakers to make informed decisions, leading to better urban planning, infrastructure development, and resource allocation.
By embracing this transformative reform, India can pave the way for a cleaner real estate sector, foster economic growth, and ensure that land becomes a source of prosperity rather than corruption.
The writer is a policy researcher and corporate advisor