New Delhi: Citizens in 19 states can now download digitally signed and legally valid land records from home, while banks across 406 districts are able to verify land mortgages online, significantly reducing delays in credit approvals, the government said on Thursday.

The Department of Land Resources has achieved near-complete coverage of the core components of land record digitisation, marking a major shift in land administration from an “in-line” system to a fully “online” framework.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, computerisation of Records of Rights (RoRs) has been completed in 97.27 per cent of villages across the country. Digitisation of cadastral maps has reached 97.14 per cent, while 84.89 per cent of villages have successfully linked textual RoRs with spatial cadastral maps.

Progress in urban land surveys under NAKSHA

To address challenges in urban land management, the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA) pilot programme has made rapid progress across 157 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Aerial surveys have been completed in 116 ULBs, covering around 5,915 sq km with high-resolution imagery. Ground truthing has begun in 72 ULBs, with full completion achieved in 21 cities, the Department of Land Resources said.

Under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2025–26, the department has recommended Rs 1,050 crore in funding to 24 states and Union Territories that met key NAKSHA milestones.

ULPIN and property registration reforms

The ministry said the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), a 14-digit alphanumeric code based on geo-coordinates, has been established as the “Aadhaar for land”. As of November 2025, ULPIN has been assigned to more than 36 crore land parcels across 29 states and Union Territories.

Meanwhile, the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) has simplified property registration and improved the ease of doing business. The system has been implemented in 17 states and Union Territories, including Punjab, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh.

About 88.6 per cent of Sub-Registrar Offices are now integrated with revenue offices, enabling automatic mutation of land records immediately after property registration.

The government said these reforms are aimed at improving transparency, speeding up land-related services and strengthening access to institutional credit through reliable and digitally verifiable land records.

IANS