Ministry of Rural Development launches land records management system in Assam

New Delhi [India], February 13 : The Ministry of Rural Development unveiled the National Generic Document Registration System (NDGRS) throughout Assam, alongside the launch of the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) and Blockchain technology in the Darrang district.
According to the press release by the Ministry, the event, presided over by Secretary of the Department of Land Resources, Nidhi Khare, and graced by Special Chief Secretary of the Government of Assam, Syedain Abbasi, marked a milestone in the digitization and security of land records.
Addressing the gathering, Nidhi Khare elucidated on the significance of the NGDRS, a transformative project initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, under the One Nation One Software initiative.
Developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) Pune, the NGDRS application serves as a common, generic platform for registration departments across the country.
Notably, the Assam instance of NGDRS, hosted in the State Data Centre (SDC), has been seamlessly integrated with various essential platforms, including Dharitree for zonal value and location, NOC for party and land details, eGras for online payment, and citizen services of Sewa Setu, read the press release.
Emphasizing the pioneering role of Blockchain technology in revolutionizing land records management, Nidhi Khare underscored its potential to enhance trust, auditability, traceability, and immutability of land records data.
The goal of securing land records with Blockchain is to ensure that transactions are recorded and distributed securely, without the possibility of being edited.
ULPIN, identified as the unique blockchain ID, is assigned to each land parcel, akin to the Aadhar or fingerprint for land, based on the longitude and latitude coordinates from geo-referenced cadastral maps, read the press release.
The implementation of ULPIN aims to ensure uniqueness in all transactions, maintain spatial records, facilitate linking of property transactions, and eliminate fraudulent activities.
Nidhi Khare also highlighted the importance of Blockchain, one of the IT reforms initiated by Revenue & Disaster Management, Govt. of Assam in order to bring radical transformation in Land Records Management to ensure increased trust, auditability, traceability, immutability of land records data, read the press release.
She further emphasized that the goal of securing Land Records with blockchain is to allow transactions to be recorded and distributed but not edited.
Blockchain technology's unique combination of cryptography and distribute network nodes allows data to be maintained and validated in trusted ecosystem.
It was also pointed out that the ULPIN (Unique Land Parcel Identification Number) is taken as the unique blockchain ID and the land parcel is uniquely identified using ULPIN from Bhunaksha, read the press release.
Khare further explained that the ULPIN, a 14-digit alpha numeric identification number to every land parcel can be described as the AADHAR or fingerprint for land.
The identification is based on the longitude and latitude of the land parcel and is dependent on geo-referenced cadastral maps.
She highlighted that the benefits of ULPIN are to ensure uniqueness in all transactions, keeping the spatial records up to date, linking of property transactions, sharing of land records data across departments, financial institutions and to eliminate fraudulent transactions, read the press release.
In NGDRS, the deed is digitally signed by SRO and stored in blockchain after the approval of deed.
She mentioned that Blockchain will offer, security, accountability, and record scrutinization from the start to end.
The District level Blockchain based cadastre and land records registry Pilot is launched in Darrang district and will be rolled out pan Assam shortly.