Kanchan Mondal
Land is emotive, social, and intensely political. But it also very concrete, and material. It is
flexible and mobile. There is nothing abstract about land. In being able to physically identify
and demarcate it, while also flexibilizing it and socializing it, land’s particularities need to be
acknowledged and respected. Land as land is worthy of study. Land is central of existence
irrespective of where we are on the planet. Nikita Sud argues that land is not simply the
solid surface of the earth it is best understood as a materially and conceptually dynamic
realm, intimately tied to the social.
So, land is social, it is produced and actively commodified. It is also regulated by multiple
motives: of the market and profit, but also of politics and the state. The multiple motives,
actors, and institutions that regulate and act upon land then construe it diverse ways.
Contests over land as access and exclusion are germane to politics as a struggle for power,
resources, and place in a social order.
Land records are poorly maintained; they do not reflect the on-ground position
Policy responses have addressed modernization and digitization of land records
1. In order to improve the quality of land records, and make them more accessible, the central
government implemented the National Land Records Modernization Programme (now
Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme). It seeks to achieve complete
computerisation of the property registration process and digitisation of all land records.
2. However, the pace of modernisation of records and bringing them to an online platform has
been slow. From 2008 till September 2024, 90% of the funds released under DILRMP have
been utilised.
The scheme has now been renamed as the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme(DILRMP) and is a part of the Digital India initiative. The scheme was changed into a Central Sector Scheme in April 2016. With this change, the scheme will now be implemented by the central government with 100% of the grants coming from the centre. Between 2009 and 2024, about Rs 1100 crore was sanctioned by the central government under NLRMP, of which Rs 612 crore was released.
The major components of NLRMP/DILRMP are the following:
(i) computerisation of all existing land records including mutations (or transfers);
(ii) digitization of maps, and integration of textual and spatial data;
(iii) survey/ re-survey, and updating of all survey and settlement records including creation
of original cadastral records (record of the area, ownership and value of land) wherever
necessary;
(iv) computerisation of registration and its integration with the land records maintenance
system; and
(v) Development of core Geospatial Information System (GIS) and capacity building.
Key findings & personal experience
Field research – West Bengal
The Study has extensive reference to primary as well as secondary sources. Both explanatory and descriptive methods of research are adopted as we focus on the role of the state in promoting ICT intervention by computerization of land-records and facilitating e-governance process as well as its impact.
Primary sources such as Panning Commission reports, various government reports and other secondary sources like assessment/impact studies and findings conducted by UNDP, World Bank, and NGOs have been examined in our research. For the collection of data from primary sources, interviews with the revenue officials have been conducted and non-participant observation technique adopted to observe the present process of the computerization of land records and their delivery. Some tahsils/taluks in West Bengal are selected through random sampling but name are not mentioned. Data have been collected firsthand from the tahsils/taluks offices where people file applications for getting online land records and updating of the same through mutation process.
Research Methodology
Random interviews were conducted with the farmers and land holders who obtain online RoRs
(Records of Rights) at theses offices in order to find out their views and opinions on the whole
process of computerization of land records. A comparative analysis is made with regard to collected data from both souces, and afterwards findings from the field are analyzed and presented. In West Bengal all 347 block are digitally connected and mutation and conversion are done through online modes. RoRs are given within 2 days in every block. In our state West Bengal 92% records have been modernize so far.
Nobody can deny importance of land. Political Parties such as West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress too have evocate slogans that pledge allegiance to Ma, Mati, and Manush (Mother, Soil, and Person/The People). Occupies, lives off, may venerate, and will ideally preserve and protect the land. The Party commits to Ma, Mati, and Manush, which are intimately connected to multidimensional land.
In return, Ma, Mati, and Manush are attempted to be fused with the identity of the Party. Land is full of ‘ghaplas’ and ‘jhamelas’ (problems and complications) as argued by a land broker. He said before even thinking of buying land first required the critical phase of searching. In reality searching are done by ‘Muhuri’ in Block Land & Land Reforms Office.
Muhuries are recruited through political process. For BLLRO work [representing land administration for a block of villages], we approach mahuri, who passes it on to government official. Mahuri fills in papers, he appears on hearing date and gets thing processed. Land paperwork might demand gifting, as also corrupt speed money. Today order-making in land has gone beyond paper, to the technical mandate of the computerization of land records. Even for a searching of ROR people have to pay Rs. 1000/- to muhiri (Before digitization it was only Rs.400/-). Digitalization has become costly appear for a poor citizen.
Moreover there is a criticism that the online record proceeding is not people friendly at all. Digital divide is increasing by Land Record Modernization programme. Computerized RoRs is not user friendly at all. They need specialize knowledge to operate that make room for corruption. Digitization has become citizen centric governance for the Citizen of India. ‘India is moving towards Digital India.’
References
- Oxford Journal of Development Studies by Nikita Sud.
- Digitalization of land record by Pradip Nayek , Sage 2022
- Banglerbhumi Portal
- The Telegraph, 02.03.2025
About the Contributor: Kanchan Mondal is an Assistant Director (WBLRS) attached to DLLRO, South 24 Parganas, and a Fellow of the Public Policy Youth Fellowship Cohort 2.0 at IMPRI. With multiple master’s degrees in Political Science, Development Studies, Rural Development and Urban Studies, he has presented research at several national and international seminars and received Best Paper Presenter awards. His research interests include land governance, gender, urbanisation and development, with current research focusing on land governance in West Bengal.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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Acknowledgement: This article was posted by Vishal Kumar, a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI.
