The government has launched operational guidelines for the third phase of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), backed by an outlay of Rs. 5.66 bn for 2026-31. The initiative aims to integrate land records, maps, registrations and related data through a geographic information system (GIS)-based digital framework.

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the programme would move beyond digitising individual records towards an integrated land management system. He said the initiative would recognise the importance of land to farmers and future generations while improving access to government services.

Under DILRMP 3.0, each state will be able to develop a land stack by integrating land-related datasets and systems. These state-level platforms will form the building blocks of a federated national land stack, allowing interoperability while authorities retain ownership and control of their data.

The programme will assign a 14-digit Bhu-Aadhaar, or Unique Land Parcel Identification Number, to every land parcel and provide for full georeferencing of cadastral maps. It will also modernise 75 high-footfall sub-registrar offices as registration seva kendras, modelled on passport seva kendras.

The government plans to scan legacy land records, create a registration repository and computerise revenue courts. The NAKSHA initiative will support urban land mapping and the preparation of urban property cards, while the wider programme is intended to help farmers access institutional credit and reduce repeated visits to government offices.

Earlier phases digitised 99.9 per cent of records of rights and 97 per cent of cadastral maps, while 99 per cent of sub-registrar offices were computerised, according to the government. DILRMP 3.0 will cover all states and Union territories with 100 per cent central funding, released in phases according to performance and monitored through a real-time management information system (MIS) dashboard.