Aapki Zameen Aapki Nigrani’

With the start of ‘Aapki Zameen Aapki Nigrani’—which is a flagship initiative for bringing transparency, and ease in obtaining land records under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP)—the Government is aiming to keep a check on the manipulation of records, which was reported more often, and make it easy for the general public to access their land records whenever, wherever they want without visiting the concerned offices. The initiative presents a perfect example of the use of technology and the workforce, coupled together, to make the processes easy and hassle-free. It is a known fact that the processes related to the land records have always remained cumbersome, largely witnessing increased instances of corruption; but ‘Aapki Zameen Aapki Nigrani’ seems to be a possible tipping point.

The figures available suggest that so far, 7.70 crore pages of revenue records and 55216 maps have been scanned while over 6.5 lakh citizens have availed the facility of viewing their land records. Further feedback from those who have utilized the facility has also resulted in purification, and the updation of land records regularly. In the absence of such a system earlier, the people had just one point office to visit and that was their Patwar office, where they were often made to run from pillar to post. The processes culminated by paying hefty amounts as bribes to the officials in control of providing or withholding the records. What is interesting to note here is that in the last few days and even before that, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been dealing with bribery cases mostly related to the issuance of revenue records—such a deep-rooted menace of corruption when it comes to the revenue department.

But all this now seems to be short-lived, provided the initiative which has been kick-started ends up being long-term and sustained. The records which have been digitized, it is hoped, are preserved, while the process of digitizing the rest of the pending records is augmented to achieve 100% digitization۔ The initiative is indeed going to impact the lives across J&K but what needs to be taken care of is that access to one’s land records should be made hassle-free, available just on the move at the fingertips. Apart from positively affecting the lives, the same is going to exterminate the menace of corruption from the system, especially in the revenue department where the people have never experienced their work being carried out without greasing the palms of the concerned officers. At the same time, there is a need for ensuring that the initiative sustains; the online database is made more robust, accessible and more so, the concerned department can think about developing a mobile application, making it easier for people to have swift access to their records, side-lining the middlemen who know nothing but money. The initiative needs to be guided through to the other side with constant monitoring and upgradation if at all the Government wants it to empower the people of J&K. There cannot be any hiccups. Not at all…