Resource information
In India, as in many developing
countries, land continues to have enormous economic, social,
and symbolic relevance. How access to land can be obtained,
and how ownership of land can be documented, are questions
essential to the livelihoods of the large majority of the
poor, especially in rural and tribal areas. Answers to these
questions will determine to what extent India's
increasingly scarce natural resources are managed. Moreover,
land policy and administration are critical determinants of
the transaction costs associated with accessing and
transferring land, both for business and residential use.
This will affect how easily land can be used as collateral
for credit and the development of the financial sector. Land
continues to be a major source of government revenue through
stamp duties, and is a key element in implementing a wide
range of government programs. Land policies and institutions
will have a far-reaching impact on the country's
ability to sustain high rates of growth, on the degree that
economic growth benefits the poor, and on the level and
spatial distribution of economic activity. To make progress
towards the long term goal of improved land administration
and policy in India, a number of immediate steps are
recommended. First, expand computerization and integration
and use of textual records to ensure full coverage. Second,
establish a spatial framework capable of achieving full
coverage with reasonable time and resource requirements, at
lest in the medium term. Third, pilot ways to improve
textual and spatial records for well-defined situations to
establish processes that can be scaled up rapidly, improving
textual and spatial records. Fourth, allow private sector
participation in surveying, focusing government on a
regulatory role, reduce stamp duty rates, and explore the
scope for replacing them with a land tax.
