Offering property cards is a good step, but the real need is to provide conclusive titles to the land. Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
· One-lakh farmers receiving property cards under the Swamitva scheme is, without doubt, a step forward towards establishing clear land ownership in the country; as the prime minister highlighted in his speech at the distribution of the cards, this will help them secure credit against the land.
· In the late 1980s, the DC Wadhwa committee had pushed for titling based on the Torrens system in force in Australia, where the state provides compensation if a land title granted by it is successfully challenged.
· Despite the land record modernisation scheme—one of the first steps towards conclusive titling—starting in 1988, and being repurposed as National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) in 2008, full digitisation has not been achieved. The Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme dashboard shows that land records in 90.1% of villages across the country have been digitised across the country.
· As per the 2019-20 NCAER Land Records and Services Index, states that have implemented land reforms have done better on the digitisation of records, but lag in terms of quality of land records. Madhya Pradesh, which tops the table, scores 2.5 out of 5 in terms of updating ownership and 2 out of 5 for recording encumbrances (whether a property is free from legal and monetary liabilities or not).
· A property card may help secure credit, but without clear titles, the large-scale tenancy that is envisioned to happen under the new farm reforms may not happen till the time the Centre rolls out a comprehensive land titling law.
· The government can set up fast-track land-dispute courts (as done in Mexico) or can implement the Torrens model or follow through with the idea of title insurance under the RERA Act. NITI Aayog announced last year that it would be working on a model law, but enacting the law will be the onus of the Centre.
