It is a common sight in a government office where documents are piled up and files are gathering dust. But, the revenue department of Maharashtra may not look like this in a few years as it gears up for a transformation by adopting blockchain technology.
Officials told PTI that this digital method of storing records in business networks would enable district collectors to process documents faster and also save cost.
At the Global Fintech Fest held in Mumbai last month, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the role of governance, especially in the revenue department, is going to change forever in the next two-three years.
“Blockchain technology is going to save a lot of time for a district collector, who has to spend a significant amount of time doing hearings related to errors in documents. Once we have completely shifted there is no specific or traditional role for the collector. There is no blockchain technology-based documentation,” he said.
The revenue department deals with the records of land, ownership/property lease, registration of sale and purchase, etc.
Citizens have been raising concerns for many years about errors in registration of names and accurate description of properties.
Many a times, due to human intervention, forged documents have also come to the fore for grabbing land and buying or selling properties.
An additional collector-rank official said the use of computers has increased the pace of documentation and land title records are now available online, but if some changes (illegal) are made, it is very difficult to find and act.
“Blockchain technology will keep a record of every document accessed by an official and the changes made to it. Thus, it will investigate misconduct and also help in finding out when and why the changes were made,” he said.
The official said that there are more than one crore land ownership documents in Maharashtra. Such documents are often used by farmers to obtain crop loans and for other purposes. He said that the marriage registration process also comes under the revenue department.
He said that the Blockchain technology will significantly reduce the burden on the District Collectors.
“Financially it is a win-win situation for the state,” a senior revenue department official said.
“With the documentation process being error-free, it will be easier for the administration to focus on utilizing the time effectively for governance,” he added.
This will ease the concerns of citizens, especially the very educated and the economically weaker, regarding the security of their land records and reduce tampering of documents, he said.
“This will also help in saving crores of rupees spent on use of paper and requirement of clerical staff only for maintenance of records,” he said.
The Office of the Inspector General of Registration and Stamps (IGR), which registers the sale, purchase or lease of property, has already started e-registration of newly constructed properties in the state.
It is completely based on blockchain technology and so far more than 450 developers have chosen the system, an IGR official said.
This department is one of the largest sources of revenue for the state, whose annual contribution is more than Rs. 45,000 crore, he said.
According to IGR Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, 28 lakh to 30 lakh property deals are registered in Maharashtra every year. Of these, around four lakh comprise newly constructed properties and are registered with the IGR.
“IGR faces several complaints every year regarding errors in property registration, such as mistakes in spelling of names and property details. Even if 20 per cent of the total property deal registrations are to be corrected in a year, it requires a lot of staff time,” said a senior IGR official.
He said that blockchain technology is expected to save this time so that the department can focus on its main task of registration and collection of stamp duty.
A senior revenue department official said that like the IGR, other sections of the revenue department will also migrate to blockchain technology in the coming days, which will change the functioning of the administration forever.
