Digital identity roadmaps updated for property markets in India, UK

The Union government of India has officially activated its plans to link land records to citizens’ biometric unique identifier Aadhaar, The Wire reports.

The digital identity linkage plans were approved last January by the former minister for rural development, Narendra Singh Tomar, and are currently being discussed by the ministry of finance, with a decision reportedly expected by September 30.

For context, linking Aadhaar digital identity with land records will work through a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) assigned to each land parcel.

In order to obtain their ULPIN, citizens will have to first provide official records showing their property ownership,

If officially approved, the Aadhaar system could potentially be embedded within the country’s Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).

DILRMP was scheduled for conclusion at the end of March, but the Indian government has asked for a two-year extension, which is still pending approval by the finance ministry.

According to The Wire, the Aadhaar linking will most likely be deployed first in the nine states where ULPIN is already active.

These are Goa, Bihar, Odisha, Sikkim, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tripura, Rajasthan and Haryana.

UK unveils Property Market Annual Report

The UK government has recently published Her Majesty’s Land Registry (HMLR) Annual Report and Accounts 2020 to 2021.

The document highlights the country’s digital ID-focused efforts during the pandemic, and how they fit into a wider digital strategy for the national property market.

According to the new report, the pandemic has consistently accelerated the necessity for a national digital identity, and the property market was one of the sectors where this necessity was felt the most.

During the last year alone, HMLR made substantial efforts to make sure property transactions were not interrupted, and in order to do so, it has to transform its operational model, with over 90 percent of the team working remotely.

“I take great pride in the way in which we have worked together with colleagues, customers and stakeholders, in a true spirit of collaboration to ensure the property market in England and Wales could continue to operate effectively,” said Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar Simon Hayes.

As highlighted by its first digital identity standard, practice guide 81 (PG81) last March, HMLR has also expanded its platform to introduce new digital services in the past year.

These include electronic signatures and digital ID checking, the View My Applications portal, and the Digital Registration Service, designed to check the correctness of customers’ applications before submission.

HMLR has also recently recruited more than 500 caseworkers via the novel Land Registration Academy center.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  India  |  secure transactions  |  UK