Bhumi Samvaad VIII: National Conference on Land Management Modernization Inaugurated by Union Minister Giriraj Singh

New Delhi: The two-day Bhumi Samvaad VIII, a National Conference of State Revenue/Registration Secretaries and Inspector General of Registration (IGR) on “Sharing of Best Practices in Land Management Modernization,” was inaugurated by the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Singh, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The conference aimed at fostering knowledge exchange, showcasing innovations, and discussing strategies for efficient land management.

The inaugural event witnessed the presence of MoS Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, MoS Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Secretary Smt. Nidhi Khare, and Joint Secretary Shri Sonmoni Borah.

Shri Giriraj Singh emphasized the importance of saturating the digitalization process of land records and registration to address pending court cases related to land disputes. He noted that this would significantly enhance India’s ranking in Ease of Doing Business and contribute to a 1.5% improvement in the GDP.

The minister highlighted the role of emerging technologies like Blockchain and CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) in modernizing land management, aligning with the government’s Gatishakti objectives. Shri Singh also mentioned key initiatives, such as ULPIN (Bhu-Aadhaar), Transliteration of Land Records, and NGDRS (National Generic Document Registration System), aimed at providing seamless and transparent land-related services.

Minister of State for Steel & Rural Development Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste emphasized the need for transparent governance to ensure that the benefits of schemes reach citizens at the grassroots level. He reiterated that digitalization of land records and registration would reduce court cases and enhance transparency in identifying correct beneficiaries for land acquisition compensation.

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Rural Development, urged state cooperation to conduct regular dialogues at the district level to understand and address land-related issues faced by farmers.

Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, highlighted the importance of dialogue in arriving at solutions, emphasizing that modernization of land management is a significant contribution to achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat (Developed India).

Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Smt. Nidhi Khare, emphasized the need for sharing good practices through such conferences to integrate efforts and initiatives in the second generation reforms related to land governance.

The conference will cover various themes, including Land Records Digitization, Auto Mutation in Land Management, Impact of Digitization on Credit Access, Innovative Technologies in Land Records, and best practices in anytime, anywhere registration. The discussions aim to assess the impact and scalability of innovations, contributing to uniformity in transparency, efficiency, and seamless land-related services delivery.

Joint Secretary Shri Sonmoni Borah highlighted that the conference’s objective is to share best practices in modernization and make regulations more citizen-centric and public services more effective. The event will bring together stakeholders from Central and State/UT Governments, facilitating knowledge exchange and mutual learning opportunities.