Parliament panel calls for legal validity for digitally signed land records

Parliament's rural development panel has proposed legal recognition for digitally signed land records, automatic online mutation and expanded financial and skilling support for rural women

A standing committee of Parliament on rural development has recommended giving legal validity to digitally signed land records without the need to obtain physical certified copies for all legal, financial and administrative processes.

 

“The Committee is of the view that citizens should be able to use digitally authenticated land records for all legal, financial and administrative purposes without the need to obtain physical certified copies. The legal validity of digitally signed land records is crucial for preventing travel, accelerating property sales and ensuring quick loan approvals,” the panel headed by Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka said in a report tabled today.

 

 

The panel, in its report, also called for universal integration of land registration offices with revenue offices across states to enable automatic online mutation without requiring separate applications from buyers.

 

Among other recommendations, the panel also advocated an expansion of the target of creating 60 million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ by March 2029.

 

It also recommended increasing average loan sizes for the ‘Lakhpati Didis’ scheme. Currently, financial assistance to SHGs under the scheme includes revolving funds of ₹20,000–₹30,000 per group and community investment funds of up to ₹2.5 lakh per SHG to drive micro-investments.

 

A ‘Lakhpati Didi’ is defined as an SHG member who earns an annual household income of ₹1 lakh or more.

 

Meanwhile, to boost self-employment under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the committee recommended enhancing credit flows and fast-tracking the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative.

 

Along with this, the committee also recommended institutionalisation and special incentives for the training and placement of women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and differently-abled candidates to enhance their participation in rural enterprises.

 

On rural skilling and migration, the committee highlighted significant gaps in translating government-funded training into stable employment under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY). It recommended institutionalising near-100 per cent placement tracking, higher minimum wage targets, and localised hiring drives to bridge placement gaps and strengthen post-placement support.

 

Additionally, addressing budget under-utilisation, the committee recommended a comprehensive review of bottlenecks at state and district levels, calling for timely release of funds through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), better alignment of budgetary allocations with absorption capacity, and stricter monitoring of expenditure.