Finance ministry clears advance funding proposal for Digital Land Records programme

New Delhi: Finance ministry has given its go ahead to a proposal from department of land resources under the ministry of rural development to restore the funding pattern on advance basis for the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme of the department as against reimbursement basis done so far to enhance the spending capacity of states.

“Further, extension of the scheme and its components will be accorded based on the third party evaluation and impact assessment study,” the finance ministry notification said, adding that the department must submit its report seeking extension of the scheme beyond March 31, 2020 at the earliest.

Consequently, department of land resources has written to all secretaries in charge of revenue departments of all states and union departments to send future proposal as per the new sanctions.

Under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme of the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development, government has achieved over 90 per cent of digitisation of land records. Out of the identified 6,55,959 villages, land records have been computerised in 90.1 per cent or 5,91,221 villages across the country.

At least half a dozen states have achieved over 99 per cent digitisation including Tripura (99.89 per cent ), Tamil Nadu (99.76 per cent ), Karnataka (99.6 per cent ), Telangana(99.4 per cent ), Madhya Pradesh (99.2 per cent ) and Jharkhand (99.09 per cent ). States like Odisha and Sikkim have achieved 100 per cent digitisation along with union territories like Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.

The Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme (DILRMP), previously known as the National Land Record Modernization Programme (NLRMP), was launched in 2008 by the Government of India with the purpose to digitize and modernize land records and develop a centralised land record management system.