Bhubaneswar: Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management Shri Suresh Pujari chaired a high-level review meeting today at Lok Seva Bhawan to evaluate departmental progress and chart a future roadmap for citizen-centric governance. Accompanied by Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Arabinda Padhee, the Minister emphasized the urgency of deepening structural reforms to ensure more transparent and accountable service delivery for the public.
A central highlight of the administrative updates is the significant progress made in the correction of Column-2 Rights of Records (RoRs). Out of approximately 62.25 lakh land records surveyed, 58.09 lakh have been fully corrected. To maintain this momentum, the department has introduced a dedicated mobile application designed to simplify the survey and correction process.
The state is also witnessing a massive overhaul in land administration rules. In a major move to simplify complex historical records, the department has rationalized land classifications, reducing 7,797 different categories (Kisam) to just 22. Similarly, 750 types of Satwa have been condensed into four streamlined categories: Raiyati/Stitiban, Pattadar, Dharmanusthan, and Amrutmanohi. Tahasildars have also been empowered through amendments to the Odisha Survey and Settlement Rules, 1962, to correct pre-settlement land records directly.
Digital governance remains at the forefront of the department’s strategy. Eleven revenue services are now accessible via the Ama Sathi unified WhatsApp chatbot, and the e-Registration Odisha mobile app has been upgraded to provide online slot booking, Encumbrance Certificates, and Certified Copies. This digital shift is supported by physical expansion, with 108 new Sub-Registration offices opened during the 2025–26 period to improve local access.
Significant updates were also provided regarding apartment registrations and industrial support. To ease the financial burden on residents, the registration of common areas for Associations of Allottees now attracts a nominal stamp duty of ₹50,000, while a 5% stamp duty is applied to undivided shares during individual unit sales. For the economic sector, MSMEs and startups have been granted exemptions from obtaining Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions to foster a more business-friendly environment.
In terms of social welfare, the department reported that under the Vasundhara Scheme, 28,531 landless families have been provided with 4 decimals of homestead land each. Furthermore, land pattas have been issued to 25,643 government and government-aided educational institutions.
The department has also prioritized cultural and administrative integrity by establishing a dedicated Shri Jagannatha Land Cell to manage and protect temple lands. Additionally, a new transfer policy for OAS and ORS officers has been implemented to ensure transparency in cadre management. As part of a broader effort to align administrative records with local identity, the department is currently processing the standardization of 57 place names to match their original Odia pronunciation.