Digital Public Infrastructure talks focus on land records and rural credit
New Delhi: The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) held a high-level meeting with the RBI Innovation Hub to explore the convergence of Digital Public Infrastructure for land governance and digital lending. The discussions focused on improving access to formal credit through authenticated digital land records.
Department of Land Resources Secretary Narendra Bhooshan chaired the meeting. RBI Innovation Hub Chief Executive Officer Sahil Kini and senior officials from both organisations attended the discussions. Moreover, they examined ways to integrate digital land governance initiatives with the Unified Lending Interface (ULI).
Officials said authenticated and interoperable land records can improve access to institutional credit for farmers and rural citizens. Therefore, they explored methods to deliver secure and consent-based lending through digital platforms.
The meeting also reviewed ways to provide standardised access to verified land records. In addition, participants discussed faster delivery of Kisan Credit Cards and other agricultural loans. They also examined measures to reduce transaction costs and shorten loan processing time.
Digital Public Infrastructure aims to strengthen rural lending
Officials discussed the use of mortgage information and flag-marking systems to prevent multiple loans against the same land parcel. Furthermore, they said these measures could improve risk management across the lending ecosystem.
The meeting also stressed the need for common data standards and API interoperability. Participants supported wider adoption of ULPIN, also known as Bhu-Aadhaar, to strengthen digital land governance. Consequently, they called for closer cooperation between land administration and financial institutions.
The Department of Land Resources reaffirmed its commitment to working with the RBI Innovation Hub and other stakeholders. Finally, it said the collaboration would help build a secure, interoperable and citizen-centric Digital Public Infrastructure that strengthens land governance and expands access to formal credit in rural India.
