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Central Government Assistance to State for Land Reform
Context:
The Centre will allocate Rs 10,000 crore to states for land-related reforms in rural and urban areas and Rs 5,000 crore for a Farmers’ Registry in FY25 under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.
About the Reforms:
Key Reforms in Rural Areas:
- Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN): Assignment of ULPIN or Bhu-Aadhaar for all lands to improve identification and management.
- Digitization of Cadastral Maps: Modernising land records through digitisation and surveying land subdivisions based on current ownership.
- Establishment of a Land Registry: Creating a comprehensive registry linked to the Farmers’ Registry to facilitate better access to agricultural services and credit flow.
Urban Land Initiatives:
- GIS Mapping: Digitisation of urban land records using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enhance property record administration.
- IT-Based Systems: Development of an IT-based system for property record updating and tax administration, aimed at improving the financial position of urban local bodies.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
- The government plans to implement a Digital Public Infrastructure in agriculture, which will include a digital survey of crops and land details across 400 districts.
Implementation Timeline:
- The reforms are expected to be completed within the next three years, supported by appropriate fiscal measures.
Significance of the Reforms:
- Recognition of State Roles: The initiatives acknowledge that states are key actors in land governance, allowing for tailored approaches to land administration based on regional needs.
- Better land registries and cadastral maps are essential for understanding land use, enforcing building codes, and assessing risks from various hazards, including natural disasters.
Challenges in Implementing these Reforms:
- A key issue has been the lack of standards, with maps created through manual digitisation and lacking proper geo-referencing.
- Additionally, varying state-specific mapping projections lead to incompatibility between maps from different states.
- Developing GIS data standards and ensuring interoperability for various applications is essential.
- Lack of Coordination Among States: Inconsistent land digitization arises from lack of coordination among states, with some being slow or reluctant to adopt due to political, administrative, or technical constraints.
Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2024-25
- The Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment was launched in the financial year 2020-21 with a corpus of ₹11,911.79 crore.
- Purpose of the Scheme:The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to state governments in the form of 50-year interest-free loans for capital investment projects across various sectors, including infrastructure, health, education, and urban development.
- For the financial year 2024-25, the total allocation is Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
- Milestone-Linked Reforms:Rs 75,000 crore of the total allocation will be disbursed to states upon completing milestone-linked reforms in citizen-centric and sector-specific areas.
Incentives for Privatisation:
- Additional allocation for states that undertake disinvestment of state public sector enterprises
- Incentives for monetisation of state assets
