Progressive land policies have made Gujarat a role model, says CM Patel

Ahmedabad, Oct 3 (PTI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday said citizen-centric governance and progressive land policies have made the state a role model and growth engine for the country.

Patel inaugurated a two-day national conference on land administration and disaster management in Gandhinagar.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said, "This national conference on Digital India, land administration, and disaster management aligns with the need for development, economic progress, and social justice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new direction to governance by making it people-centric and integrating it with technology." Citizen-centric governance and progressive land policies have made Gujarat a role model and growth engine for the country, he said.

The conference at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre is being organised by the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, in collaboration with the Revenue Department of the Government of Gujarat.

As per a release, the implementation of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), modernising revenue laws, upgradation of land records, updating of urban land records and disaster management are some of the key areas to be discussed in the conference.

The chief minister said the country is transforming and rapidly progressing towards becoming a developed India under PM Modi's leadership.

"In the last 11 years, PM Modi provided the country with a corruption-free and transparent administration. Along with land reforms, he has set many new standards for good governance," Patel said.

"Our land is both the foundation of our civilisation and the backbone of our economy. The Central government has launched DILRMP, which is redefining transparency and good governance and ensuring social justice for the poor, deprived, and needy across the country," he said.

During his tenure as the Gujarat chief minister, Modi initiated the complete digitisation of the state's land records, Patel said.

"When farmers in other states were forced to run around government offices for their records, in 2005, Modi digitised land records in Gujarat through the e-Dhara scheme," he pointed out.

The chief minister said that the iORA (Integrated Online Revenue Applications) portal in Gujarat is also a key initiative for transparent and reliable administration.

More than 35 land records-related services have been made online through the portal, he said.

"In Gujarat, we have implemented digital platforms like Garvi 2.0 to deliver sale deeds, Index 2, and land documents to citizens at their doorsteps. We have emphasised the use of indigenous technology for the prime minister's vision of a self-reliant and prosperous India," Patel said.

He further said that technologies developed by Indian institutions, such as the BISAG, ISRO, and the NIC have been used for satellite land measurement and the SWAMITVA scheme.

"These new initiatives have enabled millions of people to undisputedly become owners of their land. Furthermore, many family disputes over property have been resolved amicably," he said.

He said since Gujarat is also a coastal state, it faces natural calamities at regular intervals.

"In the past few years, we have effectively implemented a zero-casualty approach to natural calamities. However, the increasing frequency of natural calamities in recent years has made it necessary to adopt an integrated approach to land administration and disaster management," Patel said.

The state government has constructed 76 multipurpose cyclone shelters in 11 coastal districts under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project, he said. PTI PJT ARU