Engaging the Stakeholders — Implementing Blockchain for Property Records
Engaging the Stakeholders — Implementing Blockchain for Property Records
The previous blog (for Sprint One or blog 1) discussed the utility and value addition blockchain technology would provide to the land records management systems, which are still relying on manual interventions for uploading and verification of spatial and non-spatial data for land records. Blog 1 also discussed the key challenges in the current systems including lack of unified identity for citizens and properties across multiple databases for land/property records, which is providing opportunity for property frauds and disputes. Blog 1 also discussed how blockchain technology for property records can ensure immutability of records and minimize human interventions in delivering land records related services to the businesses and citizens. In this latest blog, we presented the conceptual model for application of block chain for land records management and its value proposition to the stakeholders in land records administration.
Proposed Conceptual Model
The programme team proposed a broader vision for a unified blockchain based property/land administration in the State, to provide direction for all the land/property administration systems in the State (including rural property records, urban property records, and agricultural land records along with other property encumbrances such as unpaid taxes/utility bills, and loan/mortgage records) to be on the same blockchain platform creating an immutable record for property, its related transactions, and encumbrances.
The team proposed the conceptual design for integrating the rural property records to a suitable blockchain ledger and its further integration with the property registration blockchain ledger. The successful integration of these two ledgers would pave the way for unification of other property/land administration and management systems on the proposed blockchain platform. To this extent, the Programme presented the detailed steps and interventions needed to create the integrated blockchain platform including the potential features and benefits of applying smart contracts.
Sprint Two: Engaging the Stakeholders
Under this sprint, the programme aimed to identify a technology partner that can provide a solution that aligns with both the requirements of Government and FTL project goals. The programme also aimed to obtain buy-in from the stakeholders related to Property Registration system in the State to enable an integration block chain platform for property registration and land records management in the State.
At the onset of the Sprint 2, the programme invested the efforts to build the awareness and consensus among the key decision-makers on the proposed initiative. Discussions were held with the relevant stakeholders again on the proposed blockchain platform and to agree the approach for identifying a Technology Partner for its implementation. However, the stakeholders emphasized their urgency to implement a new Unified Land Management Information System consolidating all the IT systems in place currently for land and property management in the State and opined that any efforts towards implementing blockchain at this stage may derail the efforts towards new unified land management system.
Considering this view of the government, the programme team, in concurrence with the FCDO and FTL partners, are now exploring the potential interest with the other State Governments in India, with advanced systems and robust data sets on land records and property registration, to implement blockchain solution. The conceptual design already developed in the Sprint 1 can be adopted by such other State, with necessary modifications as may be needed.
Learnings
Frontier technologies and Land Records
Land data management has two major data sets: spatial data (geo coordinates, size, terrain) and non-spatial data (ownership history, value, tax etc.) and both can be supported with new technology. The spatial records currently are dated, and it requires major efforts for the Government to update such records through comprehensive resurvey or to incrementally update such records for all new property transfer or registration transactions.
Comprehensive re-surveys can be capital and labour intensive. However, under SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas), a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Government of India intends to use drones for such surveys for rural properties and the work is currently underway across various States.
While frontier technologies have ample scope in land administration, piloting such technologies would require a stable existing IT system along with updated and reasonably accurate data to provide required confidence for the government stakeholders to implement such frontier technologies.
Continuity in engaging the key decision makers/stakeholders is another enabler in successful and timely implementation of such frontier technologies. While there may be a clear vision of the government to implement reforms, but there may be several approaches to achieving the goals. While working with government stakeholders, one should gauge priorities of the government first and then propose practically implementable solutions that aligns with the larger goals of the government.
When we are solving the problems which have existed for decades and centuries, we must first build consensus among the key decision-makers about the extent to which the proposed solution can be solved through a given intervention. Therefore, a clearly defined scope and plausible benefits of an intervention should be visible to the stakeholders. A clear vision and scope document aligned with government priorities, an easily comprehendible conceptual design, and a continuous engagement for bringing consensus among the stakeholders, are some of the critical success factors for ambitious technological interventions in the government.
We are thankful to the UK Economic Cooperation Programme and UK Prosperity Fund Advisors of British High Commission in India (FCDO) for their support in engaging the State government stakeholders and having meaningful dialogues.
PS: Navneet Kumar and Raunak Sharma have co-authored this blog.
