Rajasthan becomes the first state to pass land title Bill

Rajasthan state assembly passed the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of Titles) Bills, 2016 for providing statutory backing to land records With this Rajasthan has become the first state to pass land title bill for effectively guaranteeing land and property ownership. This Bill is seen as one of the key steps towards land reforms as it will create an efficient and transparent modern land market, provide certainty of tenure and end litigation that often mires development projects. It will give a clear title to the owner and will reduce litigations in the courts.
Key provisions of the bill 

  • State residents living in urban areas, which are governed by the municipalities or state development authorities, can seek a certificate of ownership of their lands by paying a nominal fee to the state government. 
  • The state government will set up an authority which will be headed by an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer. 
  • The authority will seek all the documents from the landowners, and will verify it against records held by the state. It will first issue a provisional certificate for which the state will not stand guarantee. 
  • If there are no objections or dispute arises, the authority will issue a certificate and a map to the owner with state guarantee.