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The Yogi government has taken a historic administrative step towards providing permanent freedom to the general public and farmers of Uttar Pradesh from unnecessary rounds of revenue courts, middlemen and lengthy legal paper processes. Implementing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Ease of Living’ and transparent e-governance vision, the State Revenue Council has launched three revolutionary digital initiatives. Now in the state, disposal of cases of issuance of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificate, obtaining simplified Khatauni of land, filing-kharij (transfer), measurement and distribution of land among co-account holders will be completed within the stipulated time frame directly through the digital platform. The government on Friday formally launched ‘Section 116 Portal’, new ‘EWS Portal’ and ‘Simplified Khatauni System’, which will make the functioning of revenue administration completely transparent and accountable.
Uttar Pradesh Revenue Council Chairperson Archana Aggarwal told during the inauguration program organized in Lucknow that this dedicated portal has been developed for matters related to division of land under Section 116 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code. Till now, for division of ancestral or joint land, co-owners had to appear before revenue courts, tehsildars and lawyers on dates for years.
After the activation of this new portal, any co-account holder will be able to file a suit for partition suit through online mode sitting at home. As soon as the application is filed, the entire process of issuing notices to the concerned parties and publishing public proclamation will be digitally automated. Along with this, the report prepared by the Regional Accountant after checking the physical condition of the spot will also be uploaded directly on the portal. With this, the possibility of suppression or arbitrary amendment of files will be completely eliminated and family division of land will be settled in a time bound manner.
The biggest technical feature of this new digital system is its being equipped with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. GIS mapping has been integrated in the Section 116 portal, through which both the revenue officer and the land owner will be able to see the actual geographical location, boundaries and actual size of the concerned plot directly on the satellite map.
Disputes over land division and measurement often resulted in huge discrepancies in matching revenue records, records and old maps, leading to violent disputes between neighbors and partners. Integration of GIS based digital maps and online records will now make accurate determination of every inch of land during consolidation, demarcation and measurement. This system, introduced in the presence of trainee PCS officers, is expected to drastically reduce the number of cases pending in revenue courts.
Making EWS certificate, which provides the benefit of 10 percent reservation for economically weaker general category candidates in education and government jobs, has now been made easier in the state. With the launch of the new EWS portal, students and youth will not need to visit the tehsil or the accountant.
Applicants will now be able to apply online directly on the portal with their family income, assets and identity documents. As soon as the application is filed, it will automatically go to the digital login of the Lekhpal and Tehsildar of the concerned area. The officers will do spot investigation and verify the documents and submit their report directly on the portal with digital signature. The applicant will be able to track in real-time through his mobile or laptop at what stage his file is pending. For any unnecessary delay, the concerned nodal officer will be directly held accountable, so that the students can get the certificates on time.
‘Simplified Khatauni’ introduced by the Yogi government is a major technological improvement in the modernization of land records. Under this new system, now the total area of land registered in Khatauni will be clearly displayed up to six decimal places. Earlier, due to limited decimal digits, there was technical difficulty in recording the exact area of small farmers, owners of residential plots or some Biswa land, which led to disputes during purchase and sale of land.
With this precise calculation, the measurement of even the smallest plot of land will be recorded on the portal with complete accuracy. Additionally, the simplified Khatauni includes old judicial orders related to Tehsil Archives (Record Room), previous mutation and orders related to earlier bank loans or mortgages taken in a systematic order. This will greatly facilitate the common citizens, property buyers and banks registering the property to understand whether there is any old loan, legal dispute or stay order effective on the said land.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has clear instructions that quick and fair resolution of land related disputes is necessary to strengthen law and order in the state. Delay in resolution of land disputes is often the root cause of major crimes in rural and town areas. These three digital mediums launched by the Revenue Council—Section 116 Portal, EWS Portal and Simplified Khatauni—will not only ensure accountability in the working style of officers, but will also effectively curb corruption by reducing human intervention. Every activity from application to issuance of certificate and registration of transfer will be linked to the state level monitoring dashboard, thereby establishing the revenue system of Uttar Pradesh as one of the most transparent models of modern India.
