A revolutionary step awaiting implementation

The Government of Telangana has initiated revolutionary reforms process related land -keeping records, registration and giving passbooks to farmers. This is certainly innovative and commendable step in the right direction. Its success will have far-reaching positive impact on our society for decades to come. This is the first time, to my knowledge, a state Government has attempted our country.

Unfortunately, for various reasons this well intended attempt has got into too many operational issues, controversies, legal challenges and speculations about its motives. The vested interests, litigations in the courts, bad communication all added to the confusion, misinformation. We are living in highly binary politics, where supporting or opposing of any Government policies and programs are not based on merits or otherwise, but on overall likening or dislike of party or its leader. That is across the board in our country.

That is the reason, some of the best policies and programs to protect the rights of the people are also getting into trouble. This is one such instance where a good policy did not get the required support from civil society and Telangana intellectuals. Many progressive people who could have otherwise supported such initiatives either disinterested or misinformed or just silent about due to prevailing scepticism or fear of being branded as Government supporter.

The objective of this article is to suggest a simple and practical process for Government and civil society to work together to implement this major reform. It is not too late for such co-operation in the larger interest of the state on such an important issue. And hope of this article is that GoT will reach out to the sections of civil society to hear their views and make this initiate work better on the ground.

Why do we need reforms?

First it is important to understand the issues related to current system of keeping land records, retrieving it, accessing, modifying, updating and transferring during the sale etc. This system was created during different times, for a purpose of controlling the farmers by the colonial and oppressive Governments. The main objective then was to keep control and authority over land in order to extract as much as possible revenue for Government. Now Governments don't get any revenue, but the control remains due to confusion and ambiguity over the records and ownership.

The existing system thrives, promotes and even perfects the following:

Confusion: Thrives and perpetuates the confusion about land ownership.

Disempowers, humiliates small farmer: Asking her/him to prove that they own the land, which they are cultivating for generations.

Creates vulnerable

situation to traditional owners: Farmers who are owners for generations have more problems than the one who purchased recently. Too much scope for misuse of power in favour of less privileged. It creates oppressive relationships undermining the confidence of small land owners.

Scope for misinterpretations and delay: There is too much scope for interpretations thus delay and misuse of power.

Encourages litigation: The system is in favour of litigations on genuine owners

Family disputes: Lack of quick decisions leading to family disputes.

These are just few, the land and land related disputes are primary source of all social conflicts, corruption and many crimes. The current system is rather designed to create problems so that real land owner has to come offices many times and submit and surrender to authorities. There is strongincentive for the establishment to keep the system than to reform in favour of simplification, transparency and speedy disposal of issues. Some of the misinformation related to GoT reforms is part of that propaganda from within and outside. Good idea, good intention and even announcing the good policy is not enough. GoT has made several strategic, procedural and even administrative errors in conceptualising and rolling out this initiatives. Reforms are always challenging, the reforms of this fundamental nature will have much opposition within the system who are supposed to be implement the reforms. These are not unique to Telangana or to this particular policy.

Without getting into too much of critical, it is important to devise a process to move forward. However, it is up to Government of Telangana to follow it up such process which is open and consultative. If it continues without any consultations, modifications and major security of digital dataconcerns, surely, this initiative will create more problems now and in future than it is intend to solve.

Technology, digital in specific, is tool, if we do not devise mechanisms right in the beginning to deal with security issues of that digital tool, surely the issue will blow out and people will not have recourse of old system. That should be avoided, that requires building confidence and demonstration of merits of the reformed.

Objectives of the reforms

Often in many sectors, the reforms which meant to solve problems, if not designed create more problems often more complicated than existing. Therefore, the clear objectives for the reforms are required. Switching to digital system is process and a tool and not an end. The main objective of the reform process is to empower the land owner to access his ownership document fully protected from any manipulations, duplications and false papers.

The following clear objectives are required for that:

To create a single record/document: A single document/record containing all the relevant information of ownership related to that land, ownership in the past, present and scope for future changes in ownership. Using the blockchain avoid any possibility of either creating documents or falsification of existing documents

To establish a single access point: Every land owner will be able to access his or her land records from anywhere, anytime, any number of times for many purposes. At the same time preventing access and tampering of others, other than designated officials for specific purpose, keeping the digital finger print of who and when the document was accessed.

To eliminate false records: Eliminating all the venues for creating false land records and detecting such false records as soon those records are being used to for some purpose.

To resolving all boundary disputes once for all: Avoiding all the boundary disputes once for all between farmers. For this moving from age- old survey numbers out dated survey instruments to digital coordinates, GPS, GIS and high-resolution maps of time series. A farmer will get the co-ordinates of his or her land than a survey number with multiple subdivisions etc.

To provide a single document for all purposes: banks, sale, mortgage etc. non- manipulatable, using block Chain.

These and many other measures are possible with well designed, well tested and verified system. Most significant of this initiative, if done properly, will restore the self-respect of small and marginal farmer. They deserve that and for long it has been take away from them by the very system which guaranteed it. It is difficult to estimate the positive value of such a thing in our society.

Establish a consultative committee

Government of Telangana needs to establish a consultative committee consisting experts, civil society, independent policy experts with specific terms of reference to come out with frame work for implementation. This consultative committee may facilitate the following:

♦ Discuss and open up for suggestions, through broad based consultation process.

♦ Invite opinion makers for a dialogue, discussion and modifications to the system. This is critical so important, it is better to listen to people. That will help in the long run. Even greatest ideas by greatest minds need to be discussed and debated.

♦ Discuss with stake holders the pilot projects immensely help in that process.

♦ Make sure all the bugs are fixed and all the safety are taken care.

♦ Integrate with blockchain method so that no scope for tampering.

♦  Move away from survey numbers to geo co-ordinates, so that the universal system of boundaries which are fixed forever without any scope for disputes.

Government of Telangana has come out one of the most important reform related to land. Surely there will be issues in such large and fundamental reform. There is urgent need civil society to co-operate and work with Government in fixing these issues. Government need to open up to civil society and progressive sections in explaining, discussing and taking suggestions to implement this important reforms.

We need to take full advantage of the digital systems- moving from survey numbers to GIS co-ordinates, from age old cloth or paper maps to high resolution satellite maps, integrate with high security systems of blockchain, make sure system will not be tampered internally and also will not he hacked by external actors. That should be part of the system design not as an option.

System itself should eliminate for any scope of individuals tampering the records. It is possible, it is feasible, it can be done. Not doing this reform will have serious consequences on our Telangana society. Government of Telangana and Telangana civil society has responsibility to work together to make this happen in right way. First step has to come from Government to establish a consultative process. Let us hope that will be done soon, before it is too late.

(The author is an expert in agriculture and water resources. He has worked with UN, WWF and many international agencies)