Avalanche Blockchain Disrupts Land Governance in Indian District

Tags: avalanche, blockchain, india, use case

Key Takeaways:

• Dantewada, India has digitized more than 700,000 land records, some dating back to the 1950s, and these records have been stored on the Avalanche blockchain.
• This system not only brings transparency to the process but also reduces the chances of fraud, as citizens will have easier access to land ownership information.
• The move demonstrates how blockchain technology can be applied in the real world, particularly in governance and public services.

In an unprecedented effort to create transparent and tamper-proof land governance, the Dantewada district, located in Chhattisgarh, India, has digitized more than 700,000 land records and secured them on the Avalanche blockchain. The Leviathan initiative, an ambitious undertaking in which the Dantewada District Administration has partnered with the Indian blockchain startup LegitDoc by Zupple Labs, is working to revolutionize land management, cut down on corruption, and give individuals instantaneous access to their own land records.

Decades of Records — At Your Fingertips and Safe

For decades, accessing land records in Dantewada was a cumbersome and often frustrating process. The manual system created delays, inefficiencies and even the possibility of tampering. But think of the farmer who needs to prove land ownership in order to get a loan, or a family caught in a land dispute who may face years of legal disputes. The need to address these challenges was the motivation behind the administration’s move towards blockchain technology.

The initiative is a game-changer, says Mayank Chaturvedi, the district collector of Dantewada, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer: “For decades, our citizens faced significant delays in accessing their land records, with verification sometimes taking weeks. By digitizing these records and securing them on blockchain, we have ensured they are easily accessible and cannot be tampered with.”

The digitized records include documents relevant to both public and private administration, such as B-1 forms (which describe structures affixed to land, by analogy to the other records) or records of rights, plot registration, ownership registration, and cadastre maps. All aspects of land ownership are securely stored and readily available through this comprehensive approach.

How It Works: Kiosk-based, Permissioned Access and Blockchain Verification

To provide access to all citizens, the government has set up kiosks in every sub-district of Dantewada. Kiosks serve as access points for citizens and government officers to search for and view land information.

Neil Martis, CEO of LegitDoc, said the application is a permissioned application, which means access to the records of the people is controlled by the revenue officers at the Tehsil level (sub-district administration). This system ensures that those who have access can retrieve the records while still protecting everyone else’s privacy.

Land record verification through blockchain technology. Source: Office of Land Records portal

With this system, officers can search land records, as well as download and view the digitized records on the blockchain. Additionally, officers may check the smart contract associated with the digital documents on Avalanche Explorer, which adds extra security and transparency.

Avalanche: The Blockchain of Choice for Land Governance

In this project, Avalanche was chosen as the blockchain platform for several reasons. Avalanche is a high-throughput, low-latency and highly secure blockchain network, which makes it the ideal fit to manage the extreme number of land records in Dantewada. Its decentralized nature also removes reliance on a central system, reducing the risk of corruption or system failure.

Devika Mittal, Avalanche consultant, India growth said, “Avalanche is honored to support the Office of Land Records, Dantewada in this revolutionary step providing trust and transparency at scale to Lakhs of citizens. Blockchain is the way forward for land record digitization, and Chhattisgarh is at the forefront.”

A Real-World Example with Tangible Benefits

This is not just a technological showcase but has a real-world impact on the people of Dantewada. Consider the case of Ramesh, a local farmer who has been involved in a land dispute with a neighboring landowner for years. Until now, settling the dispute would have meant entering a bureaucracy that was often labyrinthine and lengthy, and that could end in expensive court cases. Now, with the land records digitized on the blockchain, Ramesh has indisputable proof of ownership, which can help resolve the dispute quickly and fairly.

Jayant Nahata, IAS, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Dantewada, who drove the project, spoke about the initiative: “This initiative is groundbreaking as it has led to end-to-end digitisation and Blockchain verifiability of all land record since 1950s ensuring security of documents, reduced legal costs and most importantly ease of access to the common citizens of Dantewada.”

More Than Just Land Records: Paving the Way for Broader Adoption

Also, this project does not just stop at streamlining land management; its implications for the use of blockchain technology in India and beyond are massive. LegitDoc, the company behind the implementation, has previously worked on several Indian state-level blockchain initiatives, including the issuance and verification of caste certificates, diploma certificates, and skill certificates. Such experience proves that blockchain technology is highly versatile and has the potential to revolutionize governance and public services worldwide.

If successful, the Dantewada project could drive changes across India in sectors that have resisted reform, too: more than 60% of the population works in agriculture, a sector plagued by land tenure uncertainty and administrative inefficiency in many developing countries. This initiative can help prove the real world advantages of blockchain technology.

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A Vision For The Future Of Government

The use of blockchain technology to digitize land records in Dantewada is a vivid example of how this technology can solve real-world issues and simplify the lives of ordinary citizens. It speaks of the vision of the Dantewada District Administration and the wits of Indian blockchain startups like LegitDoc. With more governments and businesses exploring the potential of blockchain, we can expect many more novel implementations, enabling us to build a new world of experiences, communities, and interactions. If successful, this pilot project has the potential to be adopted nationwide and transform the process of recording and transferring lands throughout the country. Not only is this a technological breakthrough, but also a movement towards more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy governance.