National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP)

The National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) was launched by the Government of India in August 2008, aimed to modernize the management of land records, minimize the scope of land/property disputes, enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system, and facilitate moving eventually towards guaranteed conclusive titles to immovable properties in the country.

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The National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP), now known as the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), is a pivotal initiative undertaken by the Government of India aimed at overhauling and modernizing the land record system across the country.

Initiated in 2008, the programme seeks to address longstanding issues associated with land records, including inaccuracies, discrepancies, and inefficiencies that have historically plagued land administration in India.

Objectives of NLRMP

The main objective of the NLRMP is to develop a modern, comprehensive, and transparent land records management system in the country to implement the conclusive land-titling system with title guarantee, which will be based on four basic principles, i.e.,

• To provide a single window to access land records including the registration process in a manner that is both transparent and accountable.
• To modernize and update management practices of land records, making them more efficient and accessible.
• To develop a comprehensive and secure system for the storage, retrieval, and update of land records.
• To minimize scope and disputes related to land by providing clear titles and thereby facilitating conclusive titles to immovable properties.
• To enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system, which would significantly reduce the potential for fraud.

Major Components of the Programme

The NLRMP encompasses several key components to achieve its objectives:

1. Computerization of Land Records: This involves digitizing all land records, including mutations, title deeds, and other relevant documents, making them easily accessible online.
2. Survey/Resurvey and Updating of all Survey and Settlement Records: Using modern technologies like aerial photography, satellite imagery, drone surveys, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for accurate land mapping.
3. Computerization of Registration: Integration of the registration process with the land records maintenance system, ensuring that any changes in land ownership are automatically updated in the land records.
4. Development of Core Geospatial Information System (GIS): Mapping the entire cadastral data onto a GIS platform to enable easy cross-referencing and spatial data analysis.
5. Capacity Building: Training and development programs for the officials and staff involved in land records management to ensure smooth implementation and sustainability of the modernized system.

Activities under the NLRMP Project

The National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) is implemented in a phased manner across various states and union territories of India. The central government provides financial assistance to the states and UTs for implementing the programme, with the technical support and guidelines issued by the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.

• Scanning, digitization, and updation of cadastral maps
• Geo-linking of RoR data with updated digitized maps
• Scanning of old Revenue documents for virtual record room
• Survey/Resurvey using ETS
• DGPS Survey
• Satellite data processing

Benefits of the NLRMP Project

• A modern, comprehensive, and transparent land records management system in each state.
• a single window system to handle land records, including maintenance and updating of textual records, maps, survey and settlement operation, and registration of immovable property.
• up-dated land records and push them into the public domain so that people can access the records with ease.
• integration of the diverse processes in land administration and provide an integrated land records information system.
• land value assessment.
• preparation of field-level soil health cards.
• smart cards for farmers to facilitate e-governance and e-banking.
• settlement of compensation claims
• land acquisition and rehabilitation
• crop insurance
• grant of agricultural subsidies
• community/ village resource centers
• precision farming etc.

Also read: Land digitization in India

Other initiatives undertaken by the Department

I) National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS)

To provide, one Nation one software for the registration of documents & properties to ’empower citizens’, Department developed and field-tested a National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) through NIC/NICSI under the broad aegis of Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) a central sector scheme to include requirements of all the States and the same has been launched/under implementation in 10 states/Union Territories namely Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, and Punjab, benefiting 10.47 crore population.

The benefits are:

• The reduction of land disputes, and check on fraudulent transactions;
• Reduced process, and time of document registration at Sub Registrar level as per reports from two state governments;
• processes and time taken in document registration have reduced from 9 to 6 processes and from 3-4 hours to 15-20 minutes respectively;
• presentation for document registration anywhere within concurrent jurisdiction is possible;
• SMS and email-enabled alerts related to transactions on a property, a dashboard for senior authorities for monitoring the outcomes and analyzing the performance or challenges faced by SROs;
• data shared and used by important government authorities/stakeholders like the Revenue Department (Income Tax) with a data policy and standards in place; and
• external system integrations can be provided as required (i.e. eSign, eKYC, Payment Gateways, PAN Verification, ROR to fetch party names for data standardization)

NGDRS software is expected to improve the ranking of the country in ease of doing business in a world-level forum and provide ease of living to the people.

II) Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (PIN):

The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) System will have 14 digits – An alpha-numeric unique ID for each land parcel. The Unique IDs based on Geo reference coordinate of vertices of the parcel would be of international standard and compliance with the Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA) standard and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards and it will provide compatibility so that all states can adopt it easily. Proper land statistics and land accounting through ULPIN will help develop a land bank and lead toward an Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS).

• Benefits are to ensure uniqueness in all transactions and keep the land records always up-to-date; a link of all property transactions established; delivery of citizen services of land records through the single window; sharing of land records data across departments, financial institutions, and all stakeholders; and standardization at data and application-level would bring in effective integration and interoperability across departments.
• The pilot test has been successfully carried out in 11 States namely Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

Challenges and Progress

The implementation of NLRMP faces several challenges, including technological barriers, resistance to change among the staff managing land records, and the need for massive public awareness campaigns to educate landowners about the benefits of the program. Despite these challenges, significant progress has been made in many states, with digital land records and services being made available online to the public.

The successful implementation of the NLRMP/DILRMP can significantly transform land governance in India, making the system more transparent, efficient, and user-friendly. This transformation not only aids in reducing disputes over land ownership but also facilitates the ease of doing business by making property verification processes quicker and more reliable.

Read: Land Digitization in India