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India a land of villages.

Men made cities but God made the country site.
The length and breadth of India is a vast landscape of the infinite canvas painted
by the master creator.
India's hearts bathe in her villages where three fourth population still lives on
the land and its resources.
As the plowman plots his very way back home after the day's work, little does he
know the dimensions of the land that he has.
Getting the land records was rather an impossible task for the ignorant and the
illiterate farmer.
He was solely dependent on Patwari's and the Haseel Dars.
Loads of papers bearing land record details used to be stored in Thaseels and
finding out an individual's land records amounted to an enormous task in itself.
When Britishers were ruling this country they had some motive for maintaining this
records and the motive was to ensure the land taxes which were the major part of
the revenue at that time was collected efficiently.
They never really were interested in finding out the ownership. They were more
interested in taxes.
As the country became independent the welfare measure of the state was then more
important than maintaining land records for the purpose of taxes.
It was clearly understood by the government that if the land records are not in
good shape the social tension, the dispute in the society would only increase.
Therefore, the state governments and the federal government decided that the land
records would have to be maintained very methodically.
21st century is an aid of empowerment through information technology.
A much required paradigm shift is now underway.
A new stride towards e-governance assures a new landmark in one state of India.
The Karnataka government has created a new milestone in governance just a finger
touch away, boomy.
It is a new word, governance with a difference, governance with the aid of
technology that is e-governance.
This is the first step towards taking technology to rural India as envisaged in the
state's IT policy called Mahiti.
But the encounters and challenges faced by the innovators were not easy to
overcome.
The task of compiling all the records and thereafter having them streamlined was
immense.
Land record in Karnataka means RTC, R stands for record T for tenancy and C for
cultivation.
This is unlike many other states where there are large number of records which
exist in individual forms.
As one can see RTC is the super form of the records which contains not only the
ownership details, even the crop details, the tenancy details.
And therefore this record is the mother of all records. If this record is
maintained properly, not only the ownership can be established, but even other
details like crop and tenancy can also be established.
In fact the tenancy component in these records was a very important factor at the
time of land reforms implementation.
This computerization of land records was started way back in 1991-92.
This project was sponsored by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and was
implemented by the Department of Revenue Karnataka and NIC's Karnataka State Unit.
By introducing this computerization of the land records, the dispute arising out of
these titles, their number would come now.
Because of the clean copy and its authenticity, we have been noticing the reduction
in number of cases related to the land disputes and maintenance of records.
The state has around 67 lakh owners of rural land spread across 177 Thalukas in
nearly 30,000 villages.
Together they account for 20 million records of rights, tenancy and certification.
NIC's state unit has fully designed and developed the Boomi software.
National
Department of Environmental Development has also provided the most competent team
situated at the National
Foundation for Bangalore, comprising five people working on this project with the
support of the district and
dramatic officers of NIC located in the districts.
In preparation of this Boomi database, authenticating the database and also
providing all technology support by providing
these sharp-lived utilities and other things for cleaning this database and making
this database more secure and also healthy for preparation of the queries, etc.
In a bid to decentralize the process further, the government is planning to move
further down to the Hopley level.
A Hopley is a cluster of several villages.
At present, farmers have to travel about 30 to 40 kilometres and even sometimes
more than that to the Thalukah headquarters to get a copy of their records.
There are attempts being made to provide these records at their doorsteps at the
Hopley level.
More than about 2002 crores of documents have been fed into the top of 70 lakhs of
farmers connected with the subdusions and their survey numbers
and other of the details connected with the ROR.
And now it has gone up to the thoracophies and many times also in the Hopley level
at the Firka level also,
wherein which we are now thinking that some of these village accountants have been
trained in this fashion so that the farmers are going to benefit out of it.
This fully online system carries out mutations on land record data.
The state of the art fingerprint biometric authentication facility also ensures a
full proof of the authentication system.
There is also a facility to scan the field mutation order passed by revenue
authorities and the notices served on the public.
It also synchronises with the regular field work done by village accountants and
revenue inspectors.
Land record centres in each Thalukah office are open for public interface.
The most important aspect of this system is the element of credibility.
Under this system it will be difficult to tamper with the land records because of
the unique security system.
Instead of a password there will be biometric authentication that is fingerprint
impressions.
Thus Boomi also makes sure to keep hackers at abiions by using the BioLogon system
from Compaq.
The users log on to the Boomi software on the basis of fingerprints.
The software enables detailed records based on the type of soil, land, holding size
and type of crop growth.
This comprehensive software now provides 20 million land records of 6 million land
owners in 6 Thalukahs of Karnataka.
The program also incorporates a process of online updating to ensure the RTC is
provided to the farmers.
This system is user friendly.
By paying a nominal fee of just Rs 15 only a farmer can obtain an RTC that is
record of rights, tenancy and crops.
With the introduction of Boomi software in 2001 Karnataka we have computerized
nearly 1 lakh 3000 land records in the Thaluk.
And the farmers are getting their copies within 2-3 minutes on payment of Rs 15 and
the information about their lands is free with the availability of touchscreen in
our computer centre.
And also we have got time bound program in disposing the land mutations and there
is no scope for delay.
Farmers who had not seen computers are getting computerized certificates and it is
a matter of pride for them.
Once we go there and press the button we know the details of the ran paper of land
survey numbers.
By knowing the survey numbers if we apply by paying Rs 15 we get a mutation copy.
Earlier, we had to go to the secretary several times as he was not regular to his
office.
Though the land is in my father's name, we can now have it transferred by just
pressing a button.
Earlier, officials could have misled us in respect of land title.
But now because of the computer, the title deed of our land is genuine and
authentic.
It is very easy for the farmer now after the computer has come.
After the facility of the computer, it is very easy to get our land details,
especially for bank loans.
Now, by just feeding our number into the computer, we can get the land records in a
second and use it for whatever purpose we need.
We save time and money and also don't have to take the strain of going to the
office.
It is very useful for everybody.
Now, number number in our local computer, what happens?
Suppose I have two acres of land and I have sold one acre to somebody else, but if
you check in the computer,
it will show only the earlier owner of two acres of land.
By this, the buyer is in a problem.
To get that correction, we are asked to prove the owner, this causes great
difficulty in respect of time and money.
So, this should also be taken care and necessary action should be taken.
The introduction of the computer is no doubt a good thing, but the names like
Shyamuna would have become Shivana.
This is creating hell of a problem, especially for bank transactions.
When we have to correct the records, they will ask us for an application, then they
call for old records.
Then they ask us to come in person for fingerprint verification.
Even then, it is quite a long time.
So, this causes great inconvenience, so this should be corrected immediately.
This will help the farmer who is computed with optimum.
If there is a bore, well in my land, it should be mentioned that they write it as a
reindependence land.
This should not happen.
Land-based disputes could be settled with few impediments.
There are complaints that in many of the cases, the owners are not correct, that
their parents, the father name exists while the father has died long back.
In some cases, the past information on crop is not correct.
One will have to understand that the computerization process is something which is
different from the data which is contained in this land records.
The data in some cases may still be wrong, and it will have to be corrected with
time through a process.
The fact that data is now in the domain of the public, that the public can view
these records, that the public is now aware of the problems in the records in
coming years, at the most 8 to 10 years.
All these problems in the land records, I would not carry them errors in the land
records.
These are the problems in the land records. The parties have not informed the
government that their parents have died, their father has died.
Many a times, they were not even aware. They did not have the copy of the land
record.
It is hoped that in coming years, all these problems in the land records would be
solved, and the land record would then indicate the reality on the ground.
The model is there for all states to replicate. However, few states have achieved
success. Punjab and Haryana want to emulate the model now.
About 2,000 to 26, the privatization of the whole thing to the computer-educated
unemployed youth at the rural level, now more than about 400 applications that we
have received it.
And we are interested to see about 2,000 applications are given to those people, so
that the privatization will be able to cut the expenditure of the farmer further
down.
He need not now travel to Thaloka places where the centers are there.
And more than about 250 crores of rupees is a centrally aided program also.
This is the Bhoomi program. I have not been a budgeted program. The government of
Karnataka has not paid the money.
Nor we have received any loan from any financial institutions.
But however, it has become so successful and so very farmers friendly that the
Prime Minister himself has written to our government, appreciating the work that
has been done towards the E program, E governance program.
The story is an ongoing process. It is time for those pursuing the vision of a land
records management infrastructure to be fired with ideas and dream.
The dream is that the land records database would be connected to the banks. It
would be connected to the courts. The data would be provided to the pesticide
companies, to the fertilizer companies, so that not only farmers make use of it,
even other organizations, institutions.
The governments also make use of it. There were enough problems when the land
records were computerized.
But all the problems faced in Bhoomi program were turned into opportunity for the
revenue department.
Every problem which we faced was then translated into an opportunity. And here is
what you see, the present face of Bhoomi, which has made use of all the problems
which came its way and turned into opportunities.
There will be many opportunities for us now to make the system better.
Torrent systems of land records administration would be ensured. The maps would be
digitized and would be linked to the non-spatial data.
The banks would now make use of it. Why should a farmer give a land record to the
banks? Why can't bank make use of the digital data?
The courts where the more than 80% of the disputes are land based disputes, the
connectivity would be provided to the land records database, so that the courts no
more depend upon the revenue department for providing records.
In the paper form, the records would be provided electronically. Sky is the limit
in case of Bhoomi. It is an ongoing story. There is no end to Bhoomi, at least in
present.
Come share it with us is the bottom line of such e-governance.
Thank you.
.