Telangana: CM Powerful Inquiry into Firm Managing Dharani Portal

Dharani Portal: Telangana Chief Minister, Anumula Revanth Reddy, has initiated a comprehensive inquiry into the agency responsible for managing the state’s Dharani portal, which digitizes land records. Expressing serious concerns over the security of land records, particularly those belonging to lakhs of farmers, the CM highlighted the involvement of foreign companies in handling these crucial documents.

During a review meeting, the Dharani Committee, tasked with addressing issues related to the portal, submitted a report to the Chief Minister. The report highlighted deficiencies in the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act, enacted in 2020. The committee emphasized that the hurried land survey conducted by the previous government within a mere three-month period resulted in numerous complications.

The committee proposed to the Chief Minister that the government’s only recourse is to either amend the existing law or enact a new act to rectify the errors in the Dharani portal.

“It was observed that the rush in conducting the survey led to an increase in land record disputes, unveiling numerous land ownership issues. Even minor typographical errors in names can only be rectified by the district collector. Though the revenue department introduced approximately 35 modules to correct errors in Dharani data, farmers struggle due to a lack of understanding regarding the applicable modules,” stated a release from the CM’s office.

PM Modi Announces Suspension of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ for Next 3 Months

Private Company Under Scrutiny Over Dharani Issues

In a subsequent review meeting with officials, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy questioned the decision of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government to entrust the maintenance of the Dharani portal to a private agency instead of the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA), which traditionally oversees such matters on behalf of the state.

“The Chief Minister expressed concerns regarding the private agency’s possession of highly confidential land data, including Aadhaar and bank account details, raising doubts about the safety of land records. Officials informed the CM that the IL & FS company was awarded the contract for designing, developing, and managing the Dharani portal in 2018 through technical and financial bidding processes,” explained a press release from the Chief Minister’s office.

Commitment to a Permanent Solution

Reiterating his commitment to resolving the issues plaguing the Dharani portal, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy affirmed that a decision would be made based on the final recommendations of the committee. He instructed officials to streamline the processing of applications in all Mandal Tahsildar offices by the first week of March. Additionally, the Revenue Department was directed to formulate terms and conditions for addressing pending applications, incorporating suggestions from the Dharani Committee.

As the state endeavors to address the challenges surrounding the Dharani portal, the government remains dedicated to ensuring the integrity and security of land records while prioritizing the interests of farmers and landowners.