The district administration of an Indian town has successfully digitized all land records going back to the 1950s and secured them on the Avalanche blockchain, paving the way for a more transparent and tamper-resistant approach to land governance.
On March 6, it was revealed by the Dantewada District Administration in Chhattisgarh, India, that they had successfully digitized more than 700,000 land records through the Office of Land Records. The digitized records were securely stored on the Avalanche blockchain in association with LegitDoc by Zupple Labs, an Indian-based blockchain startup.
Mayank Chaturvedi, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and the district collector of Dantewada, emphasized the significance of the project, “For many years, our residents have faced considerable delays in obtaining their land records, with verification sometimes taking weeks. By digitizing these records and securing them on the blockchain, we have made sure they are readily available and impervious to tampering.”
As part of this initiative, kiosks have been set up in every sub-district of the town, enabling citizens and government officers to access land details. Prior authorization is required for application to ensure privacy of sensitive data.
The CEO of LegitDoc, Neil Martis, explained to Cointelegraph that, “The application is a permissioned application where records can be accessed via Tehsil level (sub-district administration) revenue officers.”
The blockchain-anchored land records application allows the responsible officer to search for land properties and to download and view the digitized records on the blockchain. This allows for a variety of government records, including B-1 forms (elevator installation), records of rights, plot registers, ownership records, and cadastral maps, to be viewed and verified over the blockchain.
Avalanche India growth consultant, Devika Mittal, expressed to Cointelegraph, “Avalanche is privileged to assist the Office of Land Records, Dantewada in this revolutionary step providing trust and transparency at scale to Lakhs of citizens. Blockchain is the future of land record digitization, and Chhattisgarh is leading the way.”
This initiative has not only eliminated the need for manual searching of land records but also enabled tribal communities and farmers in the region to secure ownership records and minimize disputes.
Previously, LegitDoc has supported various Indian state-level blockchain initiatives, including the issuance and verification of caste certificates, diploma certificates, and skill certificates, among others.
