Land ownership in India is established through multiple documents. However, all of them are maintained at various departments, making it cumbersome to access. While sale deeds are stored in the registration department, maps are stored in the survey department, and the property tax receipts are with the revenue department. Hardcopies of these documents tend to wear-off or misplace over time. Digitizing the documents not only provides a solution to these issues but also has many advantages.

Digitisation of land records would mean having an electronic public register of real estate. It would provide clear titles of land ownership that could be monitored easily by government officials, to facilitate quicker transactions. Digitisation will also reduce construction timelines and the overall cost for the developer, the benefits of which can be transferred to the consumer, making property prices more attractive.

The then government of India had initiated the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) in August 2008, which is getting a further push by the current government. However, the date of completion has now been pushed to the year 2021. The broad aim of the programme is to modernize land records management, reduce the scope for property disputes, make land records more transparent and move towards conclusive property titles.

Benefits of digitisation in real estate

• Transparent land record management.
• A single window to manage land records, maps, survey, and registration of properties.
• Easier online approvals of plans and occupancy certificates.
• Clarity over ownership status.
• Greater ease of doing business in the sector, by making it simpler for the developers and buyers to check the authenticity of the land or the property.