In earlier times, land records were manually maintained by an assigned individual called Tahsildar. Most of the land records were through marking boundaries, village maps, and paper records which included the name of the occupants of the land. This results in the lack of streamlined maintenance of land records. So, one of the main objectives that the government set in the 1980s was to make land records available to all. Karnataka was the first state to digitize land records under the “Bhoomi Project.”
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu followed Karnataka. In addition, the Karnataka government also brought property cards into place. Besides, digitization of land records provided obvious titles of land ownership and facilitated faster transactions. The importance of having a clear title to land or property is paramount. This is because having unclear land titles make the entire real estate market seem sluggish as a whole due to disputes over title and litigation.
Benefits of digitization in the real estate
While digitization has had several benefits across many industries, it has benefited the real estate space. Here is a list of 6 key benefits for real estate due to digitization.
1. Land record management has become more transparent.
2. There is more clarity gained over the ownership status of the land.
3. The approval process of both plans and occupancy certificates has become easier as it is carried out online.
4. Due to digitization, the process has become easier for developers and buyers to verify the authenticity of the land. This has led to greater ease of carrying out business in the real estate sector.
5. There is now one single window to manage land records. This includes updates on maps, surveys, maintenance, and property registration.
6. Most importantly, due to digitization, property tax has been mandatory for every landowner.
List of state-wise land record names
Here is a list of states and their land record names:
| State | Land record name |
| Sikkim | Land revenue and disaster management |
| Tripura | Jami Tripura |
| Manipur | Louchapathap |
| Goa | Goa Land Records |
| Assam | Dharitree |
| Chattisgarh | Bhuiyan |
| Odisha | Bhulekh |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhulekh |
| Uttar Pradesh | Bhulekh |
| Uttarakhand | Bhulekh/Devbhoomi |
| Telangana | Dharani |
| Kerala | E-Rekha |
| West Bengal | Banglarbhumi |
| Maharashtra | Bhulekh Mahabhumi |
| Delhi | Bhulekh |
| Himachal Pradesh | Himbhoomi |
| Haryana | Jamabandi |
| Tamil Nadu | Patta Chitta |
| Rajasthan | Apna Katha/ E-Dharti |
| Punjab | Punjab Land Record Society |
| Jharkhand | Jharbhoomi |
| Gujarat | AnyRoR |
| Bihar | Bhulekh |
| Andhra Pradesh | Meebhoomi |
| Karnataka | Bhoomi |
Conclusion
The entire process of digitization has revolutionized the real estate industry. Digitization of land records can fasten the land acquisition process and make the entire land registration process more convenient. For individuals looking to buy homes, digitization can offer accurate details of the property of consideration. In addition, to buy a home, home loans can be very beneficial. You can gain a deep insight into what home loans are available, along with their tenure, interest rate, and several other factors. Besides, you can also gain more detailed knowledge on digitized land records and the services available with these land records on Finserv MARKETS.
