Bihar introduces doorstep property registration for senior citizens aged 75 and above.
Mobile units verify documents, complete registration and deliver digital deeds via SMS.
The step seeks to curb broker influence, avoid delays and corruption in registrations.
Land registration is widely seen as one of India's most paperwork-heavy and bureaucratic public services, often requiring multiple visits to registration offices. In a bid to simplify the process and reduce the burden on elderly citizens, CM Samrat Chaudhari's Government has introduced a doorstep property registration service for citizens aged 75 years and above.
Under the programme named, Sabka Samman, Jeevan Aasan (respect for all, easy living), eligible senior citizens can register land, flats and plots without visiting registration offices. Instead, the registration process is carried out at their residence through a mobile registration network. The service was launched at the Hajipur registration office last week, The Indian Express reported.
Eligible applicants must first book an appointment through the state's e-registration portal. After the booking is confirmed and the applicant's age is verified, a Mobile Registration Unit visits the applicant's home.
The unit carries internet-enabled laptops, biometric scanners, webcams and digital signature pads. Officials verify the required documents, complete biometric authentication and register the property at the residence. After registration, the deed is sent as a secure PDF to the applicant's registered mobile number via SMS.
The service is optional and is currently available at 10 registration offices, including those in Patna and Hajipur. It will be extended to the rest of the state in phases over the coming months.
As government officials told Indian Express, the earlier system required the physical presence of applicants at registration offices to prevent fraud. This often left elderly citizens and widows vulnerable to exploitation by brokers.
Officials said that for nearly two decades, middlemen took advantage of the paper-intensive and bureaucratic process. Citizens unwilling to pay unofficial "facilitation fees" frequently faced delays, misplaced documents or objections over alleged discrepancies in their paperwork.
An official in Saran said brokers also manipulated property valuations to evade stamp duty and demanded bribes, contributing to corruption as well as revenue losses for the state.
According to the report, the e-registration system removes several points in the process where brokers previously exercised influence.
"By delivering the registration office directly to a citizen's living room, the state removes the broker's primary leverage, the chaotic registration hall," a Land and Revenue Department official told The Indian Express.
The official said biometric verification at the applicant's residence also reduces the possibility of impersonation and unauthorised power-of-attorney transactions.
The portal further automates the calculation of registration fees, e-challans and e-stamps, reducing the scope for brokers to seek money through fictitious administrative charges.
Most major states have digitised parts of the property registration process, allowing online appointment booking, stamp duty payment and document pre-submission.
However, under the Registration Act, applicants are still required to appear in person at the Sub-Registrar's Office for biometric verification and execution of the deed. As a result, property registration cannot yet be completed entirely online in India.
Among the states with the most advanced digital registration systems are Maharashtra and Karnataka. Maharashtra's Inspector General of Registration (IGR) portal and Karnataka's Kaveri 2.0 platform offer services such as document pre-submission, online stamp duty payment, appointment booking and post-registration digital deed retrieval.
