LAHORE: Centres of the Land Records Management Information System (LRMIS) across Punjab have registered 26,239 applicants seeking interest-free agriculture loans for rabi and kharif crops of 2016-17 since the start of registration from Sept 19 last.

Up to 1,021 applicants with non-computerised land records and 1,131 farmers with zero land have also got them registered with these centres.

Details released by the project state applicants from computerised revenue estates are not required to produce landholdings documents, while the applicants whose land is not digitized are to present a document confirming their tenancy and ownership at specific land parcels.

Prior to the initiative, the registration work was carried out by banks and the government had very limited access to the registered data.

A robust software to register landowners and farmers has been installed at 143 tehsil level ‘Arazi Record Centers of LRMIS Project’.

The first step of the registration is the verification of computerised national identity cards of the applicant. The next step is the registration of the applicant by taking their picture and biometrics. The final step is the issue of a slip to the applicant confirming that they are registered. The registration process is free and the cost is borne by the Punjab government.

Contrary to the previous system where a number of days were required to obtain a passbook from the post office and the revenue staff, the software generates electronic passbook which is again free of cost.

LRMIS Project Director Faizul Hassan told Dawn that out of total 25,000 revenue estates, 23,119 estates (villages) had been computerised, 1,300 others converted into urban areas and 600 rural estates had yet to computerised.

He said the government was monitoring the registration activity and efforts were being made for hassle free registration at all ‘Arazi Record Centres’.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2016