Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday launched the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) and Banadhikar App.
Banadhikar is a GPS-based mobile application for the demarcation of forest ‘patta’ (land rights) for the landless indigenous people under the Forest Rights Act.
Tripura became the first state in the country to introduce the Banadhikar App.
Singh said that that he has been told that 1.3 lakh tribal people in Tripura, who got forest lands under the Banadhikar mobile application, would get a uniform map of their land leading to the realization that this land belongs to them.
“Land registration and land rights are some of the main areas that need to be addressed with a priority and that is why the scheme has been rolled out across the country,” he said virtually from Delhi.
Minister of State Faggan Singh Kulaste Singh said that Tripura’s potentials for growth in the primary sectors like agriculture and other allied sectors are visible and in the last three-and-a-half years, a lot of work has been done in these sectors.
Singh urged Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb to explore innovative avenues for the development of horticultural crops in the forest lands.
He also batted for banana-based industries by self-help groups (SHGs) by using forest ‘patta’ for growing horticultural products that are suitable for the land.
Deb said that through these new schemes, each and every ‘patta’ land in the state would get a unique ID and the registration process would become very easy.
“People would get a single stop centre for all their queries and the whole land registration system would be made online with zero space for corrupt practices. This system will help reduce the cost and number of visits required for forest patta land demarcation and registration,” he said.
Deb further said that it will also help in solving the majority of land disputes and our indigenous communities will get benefits of all land-related government schemes effectively.