Online Land Conversion brought necessary transparency and accountability in the procedure and curb delays and corruption in the system. Karnataka has been at the forefront ever since the launch of this scheme. It is the first state to digitize all its land records under the Bhoomi project.

Bhoomi: An aid to Digital India campaign

In a bid to bring transparency and accountability in the property-related activities, Karnataka’s Revenue Department has brought all the land record activities online. “Bhoomi” is a project jointly funded by the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Karnataka (GoK). It is a flagship project started by Karnataka State Government to maintain Land Records. This land record management system was introduced in 2000. It uses advanced online technology for land management under which all the manual Record of Rights (RTCs) which are examined at the time of data entry were digitized and made available to the citizen through Kiosk Centres. All the ownership or any other changes in the Record of Rights (RTCs) are executed through mutation as per the Karnataka Land Revenue (KLR) Act using the Land Records database.

For the convenience of the citizens, Bhoomi offices have been set in over 175 taluks and 6000 Gram Panchayats of the state. In each of these centers, LR Kiosk & Application Kiosk have also been set-up. Any citizen or farmer can directly walk into one of these offices and apply for an RTC by providing the required documents. An individual can also check the status of his/her application in these centers by using the acknowledgment number.

Bhoomi Portals offers a list of services managed by the Government of Karnataka:

• List of New Taluks
• i-Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (i-RTC)
• Mutation Register
• Kodagu Disaster Rescue
• RTC
• Mutation Extract
• RTC Information
• Tippan
• Revenue Maps
• Mutation Status
• Registration of Citizen
• XML verification of RTC
• Citizen Login
• Register of Dispute Cases

Also, to make the land conversion procedure easier and smooth, the Karnataka government has started the online process to convert agricultural land into non-agricultural land for commercial use after paying a nominal fee. This move will undeniably improve the state’s ease-of-doing-business and make the land conversion system hassle-free.

Process of registering yourself at the Bhoomi Portal?

In order to avail of the services offered at Bhoomi, you will be required to register at the Bhoomi Portal before login. Below are a few useful tips for registration:

Step 1: Visit for the official Bhoomi Login page-. www.landrecords.karnataka.gov.in

Step 2: Click the “Create Account” icon to redirect you to the Sign-up page

Step 3: Enter the required details along with the Captcha Code

Step 4: Click on ‘Submit’ to register yourself at the Bhoomi Portal

One can effortlessly log in to the Bhoomi Portal and download the appropriate deeds within a few minutes! Below is the step by step-by-step process to assist you to download your property papers.

How to check/view Karnataka Land Records online?

To view the Karnataka land records online, one will simply have to login to the Bhoomi Portal and follow the step-by-step process-

Step 1: Log in to www.landrecords.karnataka.gov.in

Step 2: Under the projects tab, click on ‘Bhoomi’

Step 3: Under services, click on ‘Citizen services’

Step 4: Next click on ‘RTC’

Step 5: Enter your details such as name, mobile no, email id, and Aadhar card number

Step 6: Enter land details such as district, taluk, hobli, village, survey number, surnoc, hissa number, and validity period of RTC.

Step 7: Click on ‘view RTC’ or ‘Pay & Download’ option

Step 8: Pay via your credit card/debit card/internet banking

Step 9: Download the PDF format and take a print out

Apart from Bhoomi, the revenue department of Karnataka has designed several other projects for the benefit of citizens. Some of them are CLWS (Crop Loan Waiver System), Parihara, Name match algorithm, and the Dishaank app.

Government of Karnataka to link lands digitally

One of the principal upcoming projects of the Karnataka Govt. is a drone-based survey that will be conducted across various districts of Karnataka. The Government of Karnataka has signed an agreement with the Survey of India in this respect. It is one of its kind movement, initiated by the state government at a cost of Rs 125 crore.

The project intends to update the RTC or Pahani (RTC) and link the lands digitally i.e., geo-reference them. Phase 1 of the project is supposed to be achieved within a time-frame of two years. Bengaluru, Ramanagara, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Hassan, and Tumkuru districts will be covered under Phase 1. Gadag, Mysuru, Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi, Davanagere, Kodagu, and Vijayapura are supposed to be included in the next phase.

Is there any benefit of Bhoomi Portal for farmers?

Yes, the Bhoomi Portal has proved to be a useful guide for farmers to avail of land-related documents and records throughout the years. The portal offers services to farmers to avail necessary documents such as:

• Land records copy could be used by farmers later for applying for loans or any other purposes.
• By giving the plot number or the name of the landowner, a copy of RTC can be easily taken.
• To adjust land records in case of sale or inheritance of land, mutation requests can be used by farmers.
• For protecting crops or claim insurance, crop data in the i-RTC can be used later.
• The portal also gives farmers access to check the application status of mutation requests.
• For land-related disputes, a farmer is required to submit land dispute documents at courts. In this situation, he can easily avail of the necessary documents from the Bhoomi Portal.
• A farmer can request another inspector/controller at the Taluk level if the revenue officer fails to approve the mutation request in 50 days, to complete the request.

What is RTC? Which all information a landlord can get from RTC?

The RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops) is also known as Pahani. It is an important land record in Karnataka that is issued to the existing landowner. The documents include the owner details and all the land-related details such as:

• Information about the landowner
• Tenancy
• Area of the Land
• Type of land
• Water Rate i.e. how much of water is to be utilized to keep the land
• Identification of soil type
• Crops are grown on the land
• Commercial, agricultural and non-agricultural residential flood area
• Nature of possession
• Liabilities such as bank loans on the land

How to register land in Karnataka through Bhoomi Portal?

Mentioned below are a few steps that are required to register land under Bhoomi Portal in Karnataka:

• First of all, an individual must buy stamp paper and keep all the documents handy
• Submit the required documents to the Sub-Registrar in charge of that particular jurisdiction
• After verifying these documents, the individual will have to pay a fee for registering the land
• A receipt for registering the land will be given to him/her
• The photo of the individual will be taken at the same time
• Verbal approval between the buyer and seller will be required, along with a witness
• After registering the documents, a unique registration number will be assigned to this document
• Once the registration process is complete, the rural land sale information is passed on to the Patwari for adding the entries in the Jamabandi register, which is the Record of Rights.

Karnataka Land records recent updates

1. In February 2019, Karnataka formally inked an agreement with the Survey of India to conduct a technology-driven, drone-based survey.
2. In October 2019, Karnataka Govt’s partnership with the Survey of India decided to link land records to digital maps.

Image Source: Onlineyojana.in